Din Tai Fung as an Asian American Experience - Case Study Example

ID: Din Tai Fung as an Asian American Experience Introduction In this research study, a thorough analysis would be conducted on fusion cuisine. This form of fusion cuisine attracts wide array of individuals. Different culinary traditions are encompassed within fusion cuisine. Contemporary restaurants gained significance in recent years. Various kinds of cookery terms are combined in fusion cuisine. Customer demand towards fusion cuisine has increased in recent years. Regional fusion basically includes cuisine of region and sub-region areas. Eating experience can be enhanced through different food cuisine. It can be stated that American culture longs for Asian food. This market opportunity has enabled growth of many Asian American firms. Restaurants offering Asian fusion cuisine would combine food from different geographical regions. In current scenario there has been tremendous growth of Chinese American cuisine. Globalized world has led to transfer of unique cultures across the globe. Chinese immigrants are noticed within many non-Asian regions, specifically in United States. The Chinese American transnational community has initiated growth of Asian American restaurants. These restaurants facilitate incorporation of Chinese culture within American society. Din Tai Fung in initial years of its business operations has faced challenges but it has effectively overcome them by implementing innovative strategies. The success story of this restaurant has been inspiring from small immigrant dumpling house to a large scale restaurant chain. History Din Tai Fung is a Taiwan based restaurant. This restaurant initially specialized in soup dumplings or xiaolongbao. Din Tai Fung has been able to expand its operations across the globe. Apart from Taiwan, this restaurant has its operations across United States, Australia, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Thailand and South Korea. The superior food quality delivered by Din Tai Fung has been able to attract customer attention and this has initiated high revenue margins. Yang Bingyi was the founder of the restaurant chain. He was born in a place called Shanxi located in China. In 1948 he shifted to Taiwan because of some Chinese civil war. He was working for a cooking oil retailer named as Heng Tai Fung for 10 years. However there was a certain time period when he found himself unemployed since this retail shop was closed. Din Tai Fung was then founded by him in joint collaboration with Lai Penmei, his wife, in the year 1958. The name of this new business was derived from his earlier employer, but it even encompassed name of their new supplier called as Din Mei Oils. Tinned cooking oil during the year 1980 became prevalent and this drastically affected business operations. To avoid this situation, certain section of the shop was transformed to sell and produce steamed buns. The store had stopped offering oil product after phenomenal success of these steamed buns. This store started operating as a full-fledged restaurant since 1980s (Din Tai Fung). Din Tai Fung has set its market presence across the globe. The original restaurant outlet is situated in Xinyi Road, Taipei. In international market, Din Tai Fung is known for soup dumplings or xiaolongbao. International market share is gained by the firm through offering exceptional quality soup dumplings. There are other food products also offered by the restaurent such as soup, bean sprouts, seaweed, mung bean noodle, etc. As per New York Times, Din Tai Fung was ranked amongst top ten restaurants. The restaurant is not only known for its superior food quality but it also includes efficient customer service. Customer retention can be stated as one of the most essential aspects in restaurant industry. This factor has been taken into consideration by Din Tai Fung. In United States, this restaurant outlet focuses on American culture or taste, and combines with it Asian cookery style. Asian American food cuisine helps in attracting wide base of consumer market segment. Food, identity, culture and Asian Fusion Foods Cultural profile of a region is reflected through ingredients used in preparing food, the way it is been shared and consumed by individuals. Culture plays an integral role in any form of food being offered to customers. Social differences are mitigated and social bonds are strengthened through innovative food cuisine. Religious rituals also forms a part of food cuisine in present scenario. Beef is a restricted ingredient in many Asian countries but it is consumed in non-Asian countries. Religious norms which govern a particular food practice usually differ from one region to another. Increased immigration and globalization has changed diet conditions of many geographical regions. This is observed in United States, where growth of Asian food cuisine has been significantly higher. Chinese immigrants have set up their restaurant outlets in this region and have dragged customer attention. The article Roadtrip to Chinatown clearly reveals the connection between culture and food identity. It precisely states that smell of Chinatown is almost similar in all regions. This kind of smell encompasses shitake mushrooms, ginger, fish, durian husks, rice and tofu. Some people even denote Chinatown to be a dirty place where washrooms are not properly maintained. However these Chinese restaurants are able to bring forth their traditions and culture in these restaurant outlets. The interiors are so designed that it gives a feeling of Chinese culture to customers. On the other hand, this tradition also gains higher mark on the basis of Chinese cuisine being suffered to customers. The smell of baked beans, roasted chicken and noodles gives a feeling of Chinese food cuisine. In restaurant outlets, there exists other physical element which adds value to customer experience (Tai 23). Music can be regarded as such element along with appropriate interior designs. Traditional Chinese music and fluorescent lights creates a memorable experience for customers. Asian Fusion foods have gained importance in recent years because of increased customer demand towards such food items. Restaurants offering Asian fusion cuisine combine different food varieties from different Asian countries. United Kingdom and United States possesses a high demand towards such fusion cuisine. The most popular dishes in this fusion cuisine are East Asian, South Asian and South-East Asian cuisines. Success of these restaurant outlets is dependent on cultural diversity, travel experiences and patterns, openness towards trying new food variety and culinary sophistication. For instance American-European-Japanese cuisine would comprise of sake cocktails, poached tofu, rock shrimp dumplings, etc. Difficulties witnessed in United States In the initial phase of business operations, Din Tai Fung had witnessed a lot of challenges in United States. One of the major challenges was associated with social problems. Chinatown constituted a certain percentage of social problems. These restaurants are viewed as the most preferred place for tourist. Earlier reputation of Chinatowns is closely knitted with gambling halls, dangerous slums or ghettos, opium dens and sites of brothels. United States has strict regulations on food safety and this was viewed as a problem for many Asian restaurant outlets. The establishments of Chinese food processing were not able to meet food quality standards of United States. There has been many scandals surrounding Chinese food and this has adversely affected trust level of customers towards Chinese food. Din Tai Fung in earlier years had to develop trust amongst customers in terms of trying Chinese food items or Asian American food cuisine. Some food scandals which occurred during that time period were dead pigs being used in food, multiple milk scandals, etc. This news was not beneficial for any Chinese business organization operating in non-Asian country like United States. Food safety restrictions were not preferable for long term growth and development. This is simply because high degree of inspection on food processing units was executed before food products were finally delivered to end customers. Din Tai Fung not only had to acquire customer market share but also needed to focus on menu items so as to pass quality control gateway. The firm always aimed at gaining high market reputation in order to prevent their food items from falling into rejected food list. Customer expectations in United States are higher in context of food quality (Taipei Times). There are many Asian American restaurants who are offering such fusion cuisine. This was indeed a challenge for this restaurant because it takes considerable amount of time to establish market position. Competitive forces were intense in this market and it required delivering high quality food products at competitive price range. Din Tai Fung had been operating in a particular market segment and United States was completely a new market for the firm. The firm took sufficient time to determine consumer taste and preferences of this geographical region. However xiaolongbao, the signature product of the restaurant, was able to acquire customer attention. This in turn generated desirable profit margins to sustain business operations. Fusion cuisine was an unknown segment, in which the firm achieved expertise after a certain time period. Success story There are many aspects that contribute towards Din Tai Fung’s success. Xiaolongbao, Mandarin Chinese item, could attract wide base of customers. This form of dumplings, with chopsticks and soup is able to increase appetite of customers. These dumplings are so cooked by the restaurant that a sheer transparent skin is visible and it does not even break. In overall context, such intricacies in food items help in distinguishing Din Tai Fung from other restaurant outlets. It denotes glory of a family business name which would continue to grow over period of time. The term Din Tai Fung stands for cooking cauldron peace abundance. There are unique characteristics highlighted by this restaurant outlet and it has effectively changed the outlook of modern restaurant experience. This restaurant outlet was originally confined to Taiwan but later it expanded across international markets. Din Tai Fung is a renowned restaurant in foreign countries and is ranked amongst top ten restaurants in New York. The success of this restaurant is based on customer service experience. This restaurant is not only linked with new food items but it has even gained market presence through superior quality of customer service. Efficiency and timing in this restaurant outlet has been a major pillar in their success story. Staffs are well trained so as to ensure that customers are highly satisfied with their service. Queue time is a necessary component when it comes to Din Tai Fung (Lozada). Often it is noticed that guests are annoyed while waiting in a queue. However restaurant staff is trained in a way that guests feel a friendly atmosphere once they have arrived. Food is delivered in least time possible once order has been placed by customers. It is clearly evident that Din Tai Fung gives equal importance to all customers and believes in efficient time management. There has been striking dishes introduced by the company over the years in order to attract and retain customers. The major reason behind Din Tai Fung entering United States was increasing customer demand towards fusion cuisine. This market opportunity has been well explored by the firm. A small family business started in Taiwan has its restaurant outlets currently located across seventy five locations. International expansion of this firm outlines success story of Din Tai Fung. Xiaolongbao is a world famous item which represents high customer demand. There have been multiple outlets opened across high streets in United States. Conclusion As per the study, food identity and culture are strongly related terms. Beliefs or values are reflected in food items being offered by a restaurant outlet. To be more precise cultural change is highlighted in menu items, and this is observed in varied food items offered by Asian and non-Asian regions. Din Tai Fung has set an example in terms of success of Chinese restaurant chain in a non-Asian region, United States. There has been increased customer demand in United States towards fusion cuisine. This eventually triggered rapid growth of Asian American food outlets in this geographical region. Din Tai Fung in initial years of business operation was mainly centered towards selected food items like Xiaolongbao. However in later phase, there were striking dishes incorporated within the menu. This form of change in business strategy was mainly due to differing taste and preferences of American customers. Din Tai Fung has been successful in its fusion cuisine. The firm is currently ranked amongst top ten restaurants in New York. Works Cited Din Tai Fung. Our history. 2015. Web. 19 May 2015. < http://dintaifungusa.com/history/ > Lozada, Fuji. Global people: Chinese-American restaurants, hybridity, and assimilation. 30 April 2013. Web. 19 May 2015. < http://sites.davidson.edu/anthro/global/2013/04/30/global-people-chinese-american-restaurants-hybridity-and-assimilation/ > Tai, Eve. Roadtrip to Chinatown. New York: Spring. 2008. Print. Taipei Times. Din Tai Fung profits plunge 30%. 2015. Web. 19 May 2015. < http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2008/12/24/2003431964 > Read More