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A fast-casual dumpling restaurant where tips are not expected – or even accepted – plans to open its first Bay Area outpost later this year, according to Bafang Dumpling CEO Stephanie Peng.
“The service and the hospitality is what we are supposed to provide,” she said. “So we don’t take tips, and we want everybody to be used to experiencing great, delicious quality food at extremely good pricing.”
Established in Taiwan in 1998 by Chia Yu Lin, Bafang Dumpling has more than 1,100 locations in Asia, 11 locations in Southern California, and soon, two locations in the Bay Area, with the first expected to open in Santa Clara this fall. The dumpling chain is known for its signature potstickers (made with a pork and cabbage filling), handmade dumplings and other Taiwanese dishes, including its beef noodle soup. Expect prices on par with Chipotle, Chick-fil-A and Raising Canes, Peng said.
Unlike the Southern California locations, Bafang Dumpling Santa Clara will also offer rice dishes, such as braised pork rice with deep-fried pork chop, from Liang She Han, a restaurant chain Bafang owns with a few hundred stores in Taiwan.
The Santa Clara outpost, located in the former Specialty’s Cafe & Bakery, will be one of Bafang’s larger restaurants, with a seating capacity of over 50, plus outdoor seating.
“We are just making this location very fun and very young and hip,” Peng said. “It’s going to be the go-to place where you can get your dumplings and your potstickers and your noodles and rice.”
At Bafang, all potstickers and dumplings are made by hand in the restaurant.
“(Our potstickers,) you get that little crunchy texture at the bottom, but you also get that crunch from the cabbage, and you get the savory taste,” Peng said. “It’s still very juicy too.”
Shortly after opening Bafang Dumpling Santa Clara, Peng plans to open locations in San Jose and Texas. Ultimately, Bafang Dumpling intends to expand nationwide, Peng said.
Bafang Dumpling, 2702 Augustine Drive, Ste. 110, Santa Clara; Instagram: @bafangdumplingusa. Beginning in the fall, open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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