LAFAYETTE - Longtime restaurateurs Kao Chien Tin and Shan Chu are reopening Ting's Place restaurant in Lafayette after a two-year hiatus.

In the two years since closing the restaurant on South Boulder Road in Lafayette that they had run for 23 years, Tin and his wife, Shan Shan, spent time in Taiwan and California testing family recipes and visiting restaurants to gather inspiration.

They are reopening Ting's Place at 1265 S. Public Road in Lafayette. An open house with free samples will be held from noon to 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 17.

The new restaurant offers new recipes and décor, plus additional space for an outdoor seating area.

In 1982, Tin moved to Boulder from Taiwan to live with relatives and help them in their family restaurant. As he ventured out and explored surrounding areas, he came to enjoy Lafayette's small-town feel and friendly people, but was frustrated not to have a place to enjoy good Chinese food - only pizza. So, in 1988, Tin opened Ting's Place on South Boulder Road.

"We are excited to bring a new aspect to Ting's Place, but will still focus on offering all the basics that made us popular with the community. We are very excited to have many of our old staff returning to work with us," said Kao Chien Tin. "It has been very humbling to have our old customers constantly contacting us with support and anticipation for the new restaurant. We even had a customer offer her architectural assistance to help us finalize the new restaurant plans."

The new Ting's Place location also fits with the Downtown Vision plan for Lafayette's Old Town commercial core, which emphasizes the importance of more neighborhood cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating within the downtown area.