James Chiu, president and co-founder of the popular Mandarin restaurant chain, has died.
Chiu, 78, passed away Wednesday following a battle with pulmonary fibrosis, the restaurant announced on Thursday.
In a post to social media, Mandarin said Chiu had a “long and courageous” battle with his diagnosis, before his “peaceful” passing.
“We have lost a true restaurant icon and a passionate champion of people and humanity,” the post read.
Chiu and his parents immigrated to Montreal from Taiwan in 1963. He got his first job in that city as a dishwasher at a summer camp.
One day, the cook quit, Chiu told the Star in a 2025 interview: “Then I became the cook.”
Chiu went on to study business at Concordia University, and launched his first restaurant in Montreal called Sweet ‘N Sour after completing his degree.
In 1979, he made the move from Quebec to Ontario with his wife, daughter, and his future co-founders, an online tribute said. Together, they purchased a Chinese restaurant in Brampton called Mandarin.
The single restaurant has since grown into a province-wide franchise with 29 locations across Ontario. In 2024, Chiu told the Star that nearly six million people had enjoyed meals at Mandarin restaurants across Ontario. Over the years, Mandarin’s managing partners and staff, have worked to fulfil the company’s mission statement that customers must feel welcomed when the arrive and happy when they leave, the obituary said.
Chiu leaves behind his wife, siblings, three children and seven grandchildren, according to the tribute message.
‘A community champion’
Mandarin lauded its late founder as a “devoted champion of people and community.”
“For over 20 years, James, together with the Mandarin leadership team, awarded scholarships to students excelling in hospitality programs in Ontario universities and colleges,” the obituary read.
In 2014 Chiu and his co-founders, George Chiu, Diana Chiu and K.C. Chang were awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards by the City of Brampton. Chiu also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal Award, for those who have made significant contributions in Canada, and was a Ontario Hostelry Institute Wall of Fame inductee.
He was also known for hosting Canada Day events, first in 1996 and then every five years since 2004, that saw Mandarin give away free food to anyone who showed up at their restaurants with proof of Canadian citizenship. According to Mandarin’s website, over 168,000 customers have participated in the celebrations.
“James lived a full and vibrant life and will be remembered for his wit, wisdom, and warmth,” the obituary concluded. “The family extends their heartfelt thanks to everyone who was part of his journey and to those who made his final days comfortable and filled with happiness.”
A tribute wall on Chiu’s obituary page features messages of support and memories from customers and staff spanning his more than 50-year career.
With files from Briony Smith
