Financing

A look at Din Tai Fung's eye-popping average unit volumes

The Week in Restaurants: On this week’s restaurant news discussion podcast, we talk about Starbucks’ ongoing turnaround plans, a new format for Fuzzy’s, and the unbelievable AUVs at Din Tai Fung.

How is a 16-unit soup dumpling chain generating the industry’s highest average unit volumes?

In this week’s episode of The Week in Restaurants, we discuss the surprising performance of Din Tai Fung, a fast-growing casual-dining brand from Taiwan that does $27.4 million per location.

We also cover the news from Starbucks’ leadership summit in Las Vegas, where it unveiled some new plans for staffing and operations. And we consider the merits of its Back to Starbucks turnaround strategy.

And we talk about our recent visit to Dine Brands, where executives unveiled a new “fast-casual plus” format for Fuzzy’s Taco Shop. We also discuss why the company has such high hopes for its co-branded Applebee's-IHOP restaurants.

Tech editor Joe Guszkowski also talks about the latest big move by DoorDash. 

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts. 

Subscribe on Spotify.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Technology

Restaurants aren't buying the AI hype

Tech Check: Operators saw plenty of AI at the National Restaurant Association Show this week, not all of it useful. Some said they’d rather build their own tools than buy from a vendor.

Consumer Trends

No surprise here: Beverages and AI take center stage at the Restaurant Show

Marketing Bites: This year’s event underscored the urgency to find cost-saving efficiencies and labor solutions amid an inflationary environment and dwindling workforce.

Emerging Brands

Supreme Dumplings founder launches manufacturing plant to spread the joy of xiao long bao

Multi-concept operator Brandon Ting brought his soup dumplings to the National Restaurant Show with the goal of growing a wholesale and retail business.

Trending

More from our partners