Owner Sam Yan of two eateries in New York City, Dim Sum Palace, which combines sit-down dining with take-out, and Dim Sum Sam, which is mostly express, takes preparing dim sum in his eateries seriously. Very seriously.
“All the dim sums are handmade fresh by our food workers and served the day of operation,” he declared.
In many other comparable eateries, the dim sums are made in advance and then placed in steam carts. To Yan, they lose their freshness and taste.
Raised in China, Yan immigrated to the U.S. and New York City in December of 1996 and started working in a variety of restaurants as a server, bartender, chef and then was named pastry chef at Jean Georges, one of the city’s elite eateries, where he worked for nine years.
He saved his money for 20 years and then identified several partners to develop and help capitalize his own signature restaurant.
He opened his first Dim Sum Palace in 2016 in the theatre district on West 46th Street, not too far from Times Square, serving the throngs of tourists who flock to Broadway plays. Since then, he has expanded his eateries, all of which are company-owned, to a repertoire of eight locations, including six Dim Sum Palace’s and two Dim Sum Sam’s.
All eight are located in Manhattan: Dim Sum Palaces in mostly midtown, the East Village and Wall Street area, and the two Dim Sum Sams are in Midtown and Flatiron.
Both eateries specialize in Cantonese-style dumplings, which Yan says, offer more varieties beyond the usual pork-dumplings, which includes “chicken-filling, beef-filling, seafood- fillings and even sweet fillings.”
In fact, Yan said proudly, his specialty shops offer 50 different types of dim sum. Over 50 days, you could order 50 variations of dim sum and never repeat yourself.
But the menu goes beyond dumplings and also includes stirred-fried dishes, Hong Kong BBQ, live seafood selected from its fish tanks, including lobster and shrimp.
Why He Opened Dim Sum Sam
Because of Covid striking in 2020 and people reluctant to dine out, he opened Dim Sum Sam, in 2022, which was a fast-casual eatery, where guests could take their dim sum out, fast and efficiently. There are a few counter seats so people could dine in.
And the latest Dim Sum Palace that opened on Williams Street in the financial district in early August, combines both eateries. On one side is express and take-out, the Dim Sum Sam, and the other Dim Sum Palace, is a more formal but festive sit-down area, which offers caviar and truffle dishes.
Hence residents who live in the Wall Street area can opt to sit down and take their time, while the office workers in a rush can frequent the take-out section and order their dim sums prepared in 10 minutes or less.
And by New York City standards, where rents and prices are hefty, a meal of one kind of dumplings with a soda, costs about $10, not much more than a fast-food burger.
Clientele Is Mostly Younger People
The two Dim Sum Sams tend to appeal to a younger clientele, raised on smartphones who prefer speed and convenience. “They want everything fast,” Yan said. “They hungry, and they want to eat,” he added.
He has thought of expanding to Brooklyn and Queens, two of New York City’s most populated and bustling boroughs, when the timing is ripe, but no plans are in the works.
But he noted that most of his staff resides in Manhattan, and giving them easy access to his eateries, make it easier to hire, since staffing in New York City can be very competitive. “I want easy access for my workers and managers,” he emphasized.
Yelp Responders
Guests on Yelp were positive about dining at Dim Sum Palace. Dining at the location near Times Square, Ting from Los Angeles liked the three dishes she and her friends chose including dim sum platter, which was steamed, garlic spiced ribs which were juicy and fresh prawns.
Elizabeth from San Antonio called Dim Sum Palace appealing because “the ambiance is fun, social and casual, and the family style of sharing dim sum brings any group of friends together for dinner and I love that.”
Asked the three keys to the sustained success of his dim sum shops, Yan answered, 1) It takes hard work, 2) Making my workers happy, 3) Persistence, you make some mistakes, learn from them, and move on.
Read the full article here