The news was spreading. Customers lined up Wednesday in unusually heavy numbers to commemorate the end of an era in Denver casual dining.

Chinja, a downtown institution for 30 years, will close its doors in the Republic Plaza food court on Dec. 31.

Owner Su-Lin Hsieh said she is closing the Chinese restaurant in anticipation of building manager Brookfield Office Properties shuttering the entire food court.

Chinja was one of the first restaurants when the subterranean dining court opened in 1984.

Hsieh, 62, said that initially she was trying to keep a lid on the news of her decision to close. Fat chance. Almost every customer Wednesday afternoon had heard and expressed either dismay at the closing or gratitude for years of tasty lunches and friendly service.

“So many people have supported me,” Hsieh said. “I want to say thank you to all my customers.”

Her eyes welled with tears when she recalled April 27, 1994, the day that her husband, Wen-Cheng “Roc” Hsieh, was killed by a gunman at the restaurant.

But with a daughter to support and a crew of employees dependent on their wages, she was back at work the next day.

“After he got shot, I didn’t know if I could survive,” Hsieh said. “But my customers helped me so much. They gave me a lot of support.”

Regular customer Kris Scott succinctly described his fondness for Chinja: “It’s good. It’s cheap. Every time we come in she smiles at us and remembers exactly what we want.”

Scott said he and a colleague are scouting for restaurant space where Chinja could relocate.

Hsieh is appreciative but not sure she wants to take on the challenge of equipping and staffing a new restaurant. Thirty years have taken a toll.

“Personally, I’m very exhausted,” she said. “I’ve taken two weeks of vacation in the past 20 years.”

Hsieh said she was told recently by Brookfield that the food court is likely to be closed. Most of the restaurants have been placed on month-to-month leases.

Brookfield has not confirmed the closure. “Brookfield hopes to be in the position by the first of the year to announce some very exciting plans for the building,” Republic Plaza general manager Kit McPhail-Bowman said in an e-mailed response to a question about the food court.

A prevailing rumor circulating among restaurant operators is that the space will be converted to a fitness center.

“I haven’t heard anything definitive,” said Brian Thompson, who operates the Rockies Deli & Bakery and Chick-fil-A in the food court. “It’s a little frustrating as an operator. I think the food court serves a purpose.”

Brookfield this year entered into a 50-50 joint venture with MetLife to share ownership of the 56-story building.

Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948, sraabe@denverpost.com or twitter.com/steveraabedp