Taiwan’s Din Tai Fung tops US restaurant ranking

台灣鼎泰豐榮登美國餐廳排行榜

Famed soup dumpling chain outpaces rivals with NT$800 million per-store average


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese soup dumpling chain Din Tai Fung now ranks as the most profitable US restaurant chain by average unit volume, according to Restaurant Business Online.

With just 16 locations in the US, the upscale-casual brand posted an average of NT$800 million (US$27.4 million) per store last year—nearly double that of Mastro’s Steakhouse, the next closest competitor—according to Technomic’s Top 500 restaurant chain report, per Liberty Times.

Founded in 1958 in Taiwan and best known for its xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), Din Tai Fung operates 180 locations across 13 countries and remains family-owned. The chain has built a devoted West Coast fan base and expanded to New York, with a new 25,000-square-foot flagship in Manhattan.

Din Tai Fung generated US$411.6 million in total US sales in 2023, up nearly 20% year over year. Technomic confirmed the chain’s industry-leading average unit volume is accurate.

Several factors contribute to the brand’s strong performance. Locations are large, often exceeding 5,000 square feet. The average check is about US$45, and dining rooms stay consistently busy. A full menu of shareable small plates and an active bar program also help drive up receipts.

Din Tai Fung is part of a broader wave of full-service Asian restaurant brands gaining traction in the US, including Kura Sushi and Kyuramen. While the casual dining segment grew slowly overall in 2023, sales at Asian full-service chains rose 7.6%.

Still, Din Tai Fung’s numbers are unmatched. Nobu, the next-highest Asian chain by average unit volume, reported US$10.12 million per location, while Benihana followed with US$6.46 million.

The company recently appointed brothers Aaron and Albert Yang—grandsons of founder Yang Bing-yi (楊秉彝)—as co-CEOs of its North American operations. New stores are in the pipeline, with recent openings in Vancouver and upcoming launches in Scottsdale, Arizona.