Peter Lieu was born in Seoul, Korea before moving to the US in 1973 with his family to open their own restaurant business and invest in real estate. Peter and his family came to the US with no knowledge of the English language and were forced to learn by seeing and doing. Peter’s father moved the family to the Athens, GA area where he built a small Chinese restaurant empire with 13 locations in GA, AL and FL.
Peter graduated from Georgia where he met and married his kind and beautiful wife Frances who is also part of the central team for both Lieu’s Chinese Bistro and AZIA. After graduation, Peter managed all 13 locations for his father for several years before they sold the chain of restaurants in 1997. After a short lived and temporary retirement, Peter, Frances, and his brother David Lieu decided that they wanted to get into the restaurant business and show their father that by using the knowledge that he installed in them and the work ethic that was thought at such a young age – that they too could build a great restaurant with a loyal following. The Upstate market had always interested in the Lieu family. After several visits to the area and studying the market, they saw a huge need for fine Chinese cuisine, and the Lieu’s decided to call Greenville home.
In 2002, they purchased the old Midori Restaurant location and did a complete upfit and renovation turning it into what it is today. The restaurant officially opened in 2003 and has developed a huge, loyal following while winning many awards. “People drive for hours to enjoy Lieu’s and never a week goes by without someone asking us if we can open a Lieu’s Chinese Bistro in their town. We are so thankful for all of the loyal customers and great friends that both Frances and I have been able to meet and get to know over the years. It makes all of the hard work and long hours well worth it.”
Reacting to the suggestions and requests from many of his regular customers and friends to open a new upscale restaurant unlike anything that Greenville has to offer, Peter started to pursue the next chapter in his career. Peter discovered an ideal lot and purchased it. After reviewing many different concepts around the US and studying different cuisines, the Lieu family decided on something that Greenville has yet to experience – Global Fuzion Cuisine and the best sushi in the Upstate along with a high end bar with indoor and outdoor seating. After 2 years of planning and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears – AZIA opened its doors to the public in July of 2007.
They say the rest is history but this is only the beginning. Thank you for your interest and your support of AZIA and we look forward to seeing you soon as our guest.
