America's quiet restaurant king beats nationwide rivals despite having less than 20 locations
The knives — or chopsticks — are out for a low-key restaurant chain that smoked its competitors in annual sales reports.
You might guess that the winner would be a fine-dining steakhouse, or an all-American staple, but the eatery topping rankings is a family-owned dumpling house.
Din Tai Fung has just 16 restaurants across the US, but it generated $27.4 million per location last year. That's nearly double the sales of the next closest chain, upscale steakhouse Mastro's — which saw $14.52 million in sales per location.
Overall, Din Tai Fung generated $412 million in sales in 2024, an increase of nearly 20 percent year-over-year, according to Technomic.
To put Din Tai Fung's average annual sales into perspective, it's like combining two Cheesecake Factories into a single restaurant, or almost four Chick-fil-As, or just under seven McDonald's locations.
'Ridiculous numbers,' said Keith Durst, owner of the hospitality-advisory firm Friend of Chef. 'We're talking about unbelievably busy' restaurants, he told The Wall Street Journal.
'Din Tai Fung is offering a cuisine type that is still seeing growth and interest from consumers. That has helped their success. However, their whole model is built to drive volume,' Neil Saunders, a retail expert at GlobalData, told the Daily Mail.
'The restaurants are vast, ordering is simplified, and there is speed in the kitchen. All these things allow them to generate significant revenue.'
Din Tai Fung was top of the rankings for highest annual sales per location
Din Tai Fung founder Bing-Yi Yang is pictured with his wife Pen-Mei Lai Yang
Din Tai Fung generated $412 million in sales last year, an increase of nearly 20 percent year over year
What began as a humble cooking oil retail shop in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1958, has evolved into an international culinary phenomenon.
After Din Ta Fung's dumplings became more popular than their oil business, the founders, Bing-Yi Yang and his wife, converted their shop into a full-fledged restaurant in 1972.
The brand has since expanded globally and now operates 180 locations across 13 countries, though it remains family-owned.
Known for dim sum, including its famous xiao long bao soup dumplings, and iconic appetizers, such as the simple but delicious cucumber salad, Din Tai Fung is certainly hyped up — both online and by word of mouth.
Is it worth the hype? Customers think so.
People are willing to wait anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour for a table at the Asian eatery.
When Din Tai Fung opened in New York City, the Midtown location was nearly impossible to get into — despite having 425 seats.
A notable feature of many Din Tai Fung locations is a glass-enclosed kitchen where diners can watch a team of chefs meticulously preparing the dumplings by hand.
Known for dim sum, including its famous xiao long bao soup dumplings, and iconic appetizers, such as the simple but delicious cucumber salad, Din Tai Fung is certainly hyped up
A notable feature of many Din Tai Fung locations is a glass-enclosed kitchen where diners can watch a team of chefs meticulously preparing the dumplings by hand
The chain has a strong presence in the United States and Canada, with locations in California, Oregon, Washington, and most recently New York City.
On Monday, Din Tai Fung announced plans to open its second spot in the city — this time a 20,000-square-foot Downtown Brooklyn location.
Chief Financial Officer Nilesh Patel said Brooklyn was the natural next step. 'It's diverse, it's creative, it's authentic,' he told The Wall Street Journal.
Din Tai Fung not only lead the sales rankings, but was almost the only Asian representation in the top 10.
Nobu — a notoriously fancy Japanese restaurant with 24 US locations — barely made the cut in 10th place, with an annual sales revenue per restaurant of $10 million.
The four chains that came after Din Tai Fung were all steakhouses: Mastro's, Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House, Smith & Wollensky, and Perry's Steakhouse & Grille. Ocean Prime was seventh and STK was ninth in the rankings.
It's easier for steak restaurants to achieve high sales because they attract big spenders and have expensive menus to reflect that demand.
The Cheesecake Factory and its smaller spinoff dining concept, Grand Lux Cafe, also made the rankings.
Din Tai Fung has expanded globally and now operates 180 locations across 13 countries, though it remains family-owned
After Din Ta Fung's dumplings became more popular than their oil business, the founders, Bing-Yi Yang and his wife, converted their shop into a full-fledged restaurant in 1972
Din Tai Fung achieved its impressive revenue by having huge spaces with lots of room for customers which the restaurant has been able to keep busy because it focuses on high quality food and service.
While Din Tai Fung does not seem expensive at face value, with most menu items being less than $20, the vibe of the restaurant encourages customers to get lots of dishes and share — which can easily rack up quite a bill.
The restaurant also offers signature cocktails — including an iconic lychee martini, which can make a meal there more expensive.
Its check averages are about $45 per person. This number combined with a full restaurant and quick turnovers makes for healthy sales.
