Restaurateur Jian Lin stood outside the Chinese restaurant he's owned and operated for nearly 20 years and lowered his hand near his knee.

That's how tall his children were, he explained, when he first opened Great Wok at 2502 Preston Highway back in 2003. Those children are now in or have just graduated from college, Lin said, a smile spreading across his face. He'll soon close his restaurant, he said, and the owner of the building where he's served up countless orders of sesame chicken, dumplings and crab Rangoon has listed the property for sale.

"We appreciate our neighbors for being my customers for about 20 years," he told The Courier Journal. "I just say, 'thank you.'"

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Lin said he learned how to cook Chinese American cuisine over years working at various restaurants in New York City in the 1990s. After relocating to the Derby City to be closer to his wife’s family, he decided to open a restaurant of his own.

Back then, Great Wok was the only Chinese restaurant in the immediate area, he said. And through the years, he built a loyal customer base. For some, he said, he would recognize their phone number or the voice on the phone and know exactly what they were about to order.

"Some customers never change their order," he said.

He said he’ll miss operating the restaurant alongside his wife. And it appears customers will miss them back.

"Your prices were the best and no one can cook like you all can," wrote a Great Wok fan on the business's goodbye post on Facebook.

"We feel like you are family to us!" wrote another. "You have watched our kids grow up, and we've watched yours as well."

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Lin won’t retire, he said. He's too young for that. And he most likely is not stepping away from food. He’s thinking about food delivery services. He’s also considering staying in the kitchen, just in someone else’s restaurant.

But more immediately, he said, he has a pressing matter to attend to with his family.

After nearly 20 years of running the restaurant and not taking a vacation, that’s about to change. He plans on taking the family back to New York City later this summer for a long-awaited getaway.

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Business reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at mglowicki@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4000 or on Twitter @mattglo.