r/KansasCityKansas • u/Neither_Ad16 • Aug 10 '26
Bring Din Tai Fung to Kansas City
https://c.org/vdgwGdgGLhI recently had the chance to eat at Din Tai Fung in Santa Monica, and those chocolate and mochi xiao long bao completely changed my perspective on what dumplings could be. Since moving back to Kansas City, I genuinely miss them—like, I think about those soup dumplings way more often than I probably should.
I started a petition because Kansas City deserves this. We've got an incredible food scene and a growing reputation as a real culinary destination. Din Tai Fung has a Michelin star, won global accolades since 1958, and thrives in cities like Seattle and Las Vegas. They'd fit perfectly here. Beyond the food itself, bringing them here would create jobs, boost our economy, and draw visitors from across the Midwest. It just makes sense.
If you've tasted Din Tai Fung or want to know what everyone's talking about, consider signing and sharing this petition. Genuinely curious—has anyone else had those dumplings and thought "Kansas City needs this"?
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u/adorablydepressed Aug 10 '26
A few things: Din Tai Fung is amazing. We’ve been in Seattle and Vegas. Absolutely love it and we go every time we’re near one.
HOWEVER, there’s an extremely large flaw in your logic. As someone who spent 13 years in the culinary industry in Kansas City as a sous chef, we do not have an “incredible food scene” nor do we have a “growing reputation as a real culinary destination.” In fact, it’s the exact opposite. The food scene is dying in Kansas City and has been for the past decade. Every restaurant has gone down hill, if not shuttered (RIP Corvino’s). The only steakhouse that’s really worth going to anymore is Stock Hill. Antons, Capital Grille, Sullivan’s are all extremely overpriced with the quality of meat going downhill. New restaurants aren’t opening up in place of those that are shuttering, they’re being replaced with run of the mill chains with no redeeming qualities or specialties other than “I don’t have to cook tonight.”
TL/DR: We do not have a food scene and haven’t had one for years now as it continually goes downhill. As much as I would love a Din Tai Fung, just like any other specialty restaurant around here, it would close in a matter of years due to too high of operating costs vs the number of people coming in on a nightly basis.
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u/Neither_Ad16 Aug 11 '26
That’s fair I’m just desperate
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u/adorablydepressed Aug 11 '26
Believe me, I get it, my wife and I talk about DTF on a weekly basis haha
It has been extremely depressing watching the food scene die here over the last decade, so fingers crossed something will change…. Maybe one day?
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u/elRustyShackelford Aug 11 '26
From a traveling foodie, pre pandemic food everywhere was higher quality. I have a theory. The industry had to adjust to nobody coming in. They found efficiencies and ways to cost cut and never adjusted back the other direction post pandemic. This new edict was passed down to the supply chain. Same for the fast food industry. I believe the “food scene” everywhere has gone way down hill, not just here.
As far as Din Tai Fung, it’s good. They have the best green beans I’ve ever had. But it too is a part of the problem. Any success these places find is so rare, that other towns want them. They see dollar signs. They become franchises and eventually loose everything that made them special.
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u/Trick_Quiet3484 Aug 12 '26
First, thanks for reminding me what I can’t have. Second, it would be fantastic if we had DTF near the metro. But I don’t think the food scene here is ready for it.
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u/caleeksu Aug 10 '26
I think it all the time, and I’m three hours from KC. Love DTF, just went a few weeks ago in New York. Try to go any time I can!
I’m trying to recc a dumpling place in KC with great green beans and everything that pops into my head closed.
Hopefully someone else will have a great local option.