Din Tai Fung was founded in Taipei, Taiwan in 1958 as a cooking oil retail shop. In 1972, it transitioned into a full fledged restaurant specializing in soup dumplings and noodles. The restaurant was soon winning rave reviews from all over the world.
The tradition of Din Tai Fung continues today in its locations in the United States, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and Thailand.
History
Founder Yang Bingyi[ was born in Shanxi, China, but moved to Taiwan in 1948 as a result of the Chinese Civil War. After working 10 years at Heng Tai Fung , a cooking oil retailer, he found himself unemployed when the store closed. Together with his Hakka wife, Lai Penmei, he founded Din Tai Fung (also a cooking oil retailer) in 1958. The name was a combination of his previous employer’s company name “Heng Tai Fung" and his new supplier’s company name “DinMei Oils".
Around 1970, tinned cooking oil became prevalent, and business diminished drastically. In order to survive, Yang and his wife turned over half the shop to making and selling steamed buns (Xiaolongbao) by hiring chefs from Shanghai where the Xiaolongbao is originally from. The buns were so popular that the store stopped selling oil altogether and became a full-fledged restaurant in 1972. The original restaurant is located 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.[ The first European branch is slated to open in London in mid-2018.[
Reputation
Din Tai Fung is known internationally for its xiaolongbao. It was named one of the top ten restaurants in the world by The New York Times on 17 January 1993. In November 2009, the restaurant’s first Hong Kong branch at Tsim Sha Tsui, Silvercord Branch , was awarded one Michelin star by the Hong Kong and Macau 2010 edition of the Michelin Guide.[ In December 2010, the restaurant’s second branch in Hong Kong at Causeway Bay, Yee Wo Branch, was also recommended by the Michelin Guide, as well as Hong Kong’s Silvercord Branch in 2013.[
On 2019 January 30, YouTube footage was posted of a rat inside a Din Tai Fung establishment in Australia, resulting in a prohibition order preventing the eatery from re-opening until further notice.[
1. key to perfect service lies in attention to detail
Some of the most important aspects of restaurant service are friendliness and flexibility. The outstanding service that diners receive at Din Tai Fung comes from the heart. Staff at Din Tai Fung seeks to put the customer’s needs first, providing proactive service in which even the tiniest detail embodies Din Tai Fung’s service philosophy and brand values.
2. Daily sales targets are not everything
Since taking over management of Din Tai Fung from his father, the restaurant’s founder Yang Bingyi, Yang Chihua has worked to transform a single, small restaurant into a world-class, international chain of gourmet restaurants. Rather than focusing solely on sales performance, Din Tai Fung’s main aim is to provide customers with the best possible service, strengthen brand visibility, and achieve sustainable growth.
3. Quality is the lifeblood of the business
Careful selection of ingredients; attention to detail in food preparation; fine-tuning of cooking techniques; the best possible tableside service – Din Tai Fung takes the same painstaking care at each step in the process of bringing outstanding gourmet food to customers, with rigorous quality assurance at every level. The top-class food that we serve is the embodiment of this service philosophy.
4. Branding means responsibility
Our insistence on quality is part of our responsibility to our customers. Each and every moment is an opportunity to show that we care, and each and every detail is a small part of the foundation that the Din Tai Fung brand is built upon. It is this attention to detail and commitment to our craft that guarantees a first-class dining experience at Din Tai Fung.
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