BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ
Daily Post Staff Writer
Roy’s Drive-In Cleaners will close in August after 80 years in business and will be replaced by a Chinese restaurant.
“They’ve always been a great dry cleaner for our family, they’re just a great small mom and pop business,” said Ernie Schmidt, a former planning commissioner and general manager of Fox Theater downtown. “They’re a part of the fabric of our community, so when you see something like that go away, it’s sad.”
Schmidt said he has taken his clothes to Roy’s since 2001 and has always found the customer service to be good. He said that he was told to pick up his clothes by July by a worker as they are preparing for their closure.
As part of the agreement with the city, at least 75% of the building’s exterior must remain unchanged due to its historic status.
Since 1941, Roy’s Drive-In Cleaners has operated at 1100 El Camino Real.
Bert and Fern Bolton sold the building on March 2, 2022 to 3338 Kuang LLC, according to county records. Haylong Shue submitted the application to the city to build the restaurant.
Shue plans to build a second floor and add windows along Harrison Avenue on the first floor. Roy’s Drive-In Cleaners’ bright red and green sign on the front of the building, along with its white brick wall, will remain. The mural along Harrison Avenue will be going away.
The dine-in restaurant will be known as Grand Hot Pot, a dine-in restaurant.
On July 18, 2023, the Planning Commission unanimously approved the construction of Grand Hot Pot.
During the meeting, Planning Commissioner Kimberly Koch was concerned about converting the former dry cleaner into a restaurant because chemicals from the cleaning process might be left over on the site. However, Assistant Planner James Dotson assured the commission that environmental testing had confirmed there would be no contamination affecting the new eatery.
The restaurant will be able to hold 127 guests. There won’t be any parking, but the restaurant is in close proximity to a SamTams bus stop and the Caltrain station. Dotson said that there are also shared parking spaces available from other businesses along El Camino.
Dotson said the final design of the restaurant remains uncertain. Shue applied for a building permit in June 2025 but has yet to pay the required fees, Dotson added.