Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant chain specializing in Chinese cuisine, particularly famous for its Xiaolongbao. Based in Taipei, Taiwan, Din Tai Fung also has branches in Australia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.

History
Founder Yang Bing-yi, 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  and the shop sign was a calligraphic work of the then Control Yuan president Yu Youren.

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 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. 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 to pass health inspections before re-opening.

COVID-19 pandemic and after
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. There are still multiple Din Tai Fung restaurants operating in the United States, located in California, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada.

In March 2023, a Din Tai Fung Australia franchise was prosecuted by the Federal Court of Australia for underpaying staff, pressuring employees to sign an Australian workplace agreement, and failing to pay approximately A$175,000 in owed wages. Din Tai Fung and two of its managers have been hit with $4 million in fines for deliberately underpaying workers and attempting to cover it up. The Taiwanese restaurant chain has been ordered by the Federal Court of Australia to pay $3.89 million, while its general manager Hannah Handoko was fined $92,232 and human relations manager Sinthiana Parmenas $105,084.

Reputation
Din Tai Fung is known internationally for its paper-thin wrapped xiaolongbao with 18 folds. 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.