Din Tai Fung
Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant chain. Outside Taiwan, Din Tai Fung also has branches in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. History. Founder Yang Bingyi, an immigrant from Shanxi, initially worked ten years at Heng Tai Fung (), a cooking oil retailer in Taiwan. He then wanted to branch out on his own to support his family. With his Hakka wife, Lai Penmei, he founded a cooking oil retailer in 1958. They named it Din Tai Fung by combining the  names of Yang's previous employer, "Heng Tai Fung", and their new supplier, "DinMei Oils". Around 1970, tinned cooking oil became prevalent, and business diminished drastically. Heng Tai Fung's owner suggested that to survive, Yang and Lai convert half the shop to making and selling steamed buns (xiaolongbao). The buns grew so popular that the store stopped selling oil altogether and became a full-fledged restaurant in 1972. The original restaurant is on Xinyi Road in Taipei. In 1996, the first international location opened in Tokyo, and the first North American store opened in Arcadia, California in 2000. Their  first branch in Indonesia opened at the upmarket shopping mall Plaza Senayan Arcadia in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 24, 2005 - as of 2022 having as many as 13 branches spread across the Greater Jakarta area with three outlet formats (regular Din Tai Fung, Noodle Bar, and Chef's Table) and halal or non-halal selections available. The first European branch was opened in London in December 2018. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry in the United States, the first North American restaurant closed permanently on June 11, 2020. Reputation. Din Tai Fung is known  internationally for its paper-thin wrapped xiaolongbao with 18 folds. "The New York Times" named it one of the top ten restaurants in the world in 1993. In November 2009, the Hong Kong and Macau 2010 edition of the Michelin Guide awarded the restaurant's first Hong Kong branch at Tsim Sha Tsui, Silvercord Branch (), a Michelin star. The Michelin Guide recommended the restaurant's second branch in Hong Kong at Causeway Bay, Yee Wo Branch (), in December 2010, as well as Hong Kong's Silvercord Branch in 2013. In January 2019, Din Tai Fung voluntarily closed their Westfield Sydney  location after discovering rats, which nearby construction had displaced. The city council also required the restaurant pass health inspections before re-opening.