AUBURN — It’s just before 11 a.m. on a Wednesday at 279 Center St., and already there are people waiting to get inside Lotus restaurant — where on the surface, nothing has changed.

Only the “regulars” at Lotus know that the Wu family — founders and owners of the Center Street fixture — have been quietly preparing for the handover of one of the area’s legacy restaurants they created in 2014.

As of May 1, new owners Lijun Lin and her husband, Jimmy Liang, have taken control of Lotus and say customers can expect the same menu, level of service, quality of food, hours and special holidays, down to the sauces and the extensive buffet line.

The new owners of Lotus, who are originally from China’s southwestern Fujian Province, have been working closely with the Wu family to ensure a smooth transition. The couple was screened and handpicked by Wu out of a number of other candidates to buy the business.

“We interviewed multiple candidates,” Wu said Wednesday, “and it seems like they have a lot of background. He has a lot of experience in China as well.”

Lin and Liang have 35 years of experience between them and are already geared up for their first challenge — Mother’s Day weekend. Reservations are recommended. The Mother’s Day buffet will feature seafood-stuffed haddock and bourbon-glazed steak.

While that may not sound like Asian cuisine, it’s typical of the blending of cultures the Wu family created as owners, offering American-influenced foods like turkey for Thanksgiving, which will continue.

Another tradition that started in 2014 and continues today is free meals for veterans and active duty military on Veterans Day — dine in only.

Lin appeared before the Auburn City Council on Monday night, seeking a transfer of the popular restaurant’s liquor license, which was granted.

Lin told the council she is new to the area and moved to Auburn from New Hampshire. She and her husband own and operate a Chinese and Thai restaurant in Keene, New Hampshire, called Marco Polo, which they’ve owned for three years and which gets favorable ratings for service, taste and prices.

Lotus is one of the Lewiston-Auburn area’s most popular Asian restaurants, focusing on Chinese and Japanese cuisine with some Thai-inspired dishes also on the menu. Lin said she would like to offer more Thai food in the months ahead.

Lotus is one of the few restaurants in Lewiston and Auburn that is open seven days a week and can seat about 300 people, which is large for the area.

Most of the employees are staying on with the new owners, who will split their time between both restaurants for now, with family members already living in Lewiston and Auburn.

Family is the reason the Wus decided to sell the business. “This is where we raised our kids,” he offered in the understated manner he is known for. “My kids came here every day after school, and on the weekends,” adding they played basketball in the back of the restaurant, where the portable hoop remains.

But kids grow and owning a restaurant is a never-ending job. Wu’s son is a junior at Hebron Academy, soon to be heading to college.

“This community is our home, and that isn’t changing,” Wu explained in a statement. “Running a restaurant seven days a week is incredibly demanding, and the time has come for us to step away. We’re looking forward to spending more time together as a family, especially as our children grow older. That time is something we deeply value.”

Wu is also a developer and property owner. One of his projects in Auburn is well underway in the former Lake Street Elementary School, which will be transformed into 12 apartments later this year, with five townhomes adjacent to the school ready in 2027.

In keeping with his commitment to the community, Wu said his family will donate a playground and park to the city later this year. In 2017, Lotus donated $10,000 to the Good Shepherd Food Bank after a fundraiser and has donated regularly to Make-A-Wish and Special Olympics.

It’s a farewell and not goodbye, Wu said. “We want to sincerely thank the people of Auburn and the surrounding communities for supporting Lotus and our family. … It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve this area and to be part of so many meaningful moments — holidays, family gatherings, celebrations, and everyday meals shared together.”