Yumpling started as a flea market stand before launching as a food truck—by 2020, it had generated enough buzz that it led to a full-fledged restaurant in Long Island City. This fall, the Taiwanese fast-casual restaurant is opening a second location in Midtown, at 16 E. 52nd Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues. It’s a return to the neighborhood for the brand that operated there during the mobile era: “The food truck era proved that our food resonates well in the city, and since we’re more fast-casual than dine-in, we hope the young, working millennial generation will embrace us well,” owner Chris Yu tells Eater. The menu will remain mostly the same (dumplings, noodles, popcorn chicken, etc.), plus a few dishes chosen for the location will be offered.
A stand opens at the Queens Night Market in Beacon
Afghan dumpling shop Nansense has opened its own restaurant. Nansense started as a food truck and later became a fixture at the Queens Night Market as well as the short-lived midtown food hall The Deco. This time, owner Mohibullah Rahmati has swapped Queens for Beacon, New York, and opened today in the Hudson Valley town at 2 Eliza Street at Main Street. The restaurant’s menu includes mantu (Afghan dumplings), rice bowls (with beef, chicken or eggplant), chapli kebab smash burgers, masala fries and pistachio cardamom rice pudding.
A new candy store is coming to the West Village
Candy shop Lil Sweet Treat will open Aug. 30 at 184 Seventh Avenue South, near West 11th Street, filling the gap left by Sockerbit in 2020. The store supplied Scandinavian licorice and other candies to the West Village. Lil Sweet Treat operates in a “pick and mix” format and will offer candies from around the world, including Sweden, Germany, Belgium and Spain. This fall, owner Elly Ross will also offer chocolate from Hawaii and Germany.
Chainfest tickets go on sale this Friday
Fast-food festival Chainfest, which started in Los Angeles, has announced it will take place on Sept. 21, with tickets going on sale Friday. Founded by actor and writer BJ Novak and Timothy Hollingsworth (former Per Se chef, current owner of Otium in LA), the festival features chef-led takes on dishes from KFC, Red Robin, Panda Express and Red Lobster. (For comparison, last year’s 20,000-square-foot LA Chainfest featured new menu items from Panda Express, Pizza Hut, Chili’s and Dunkin, as well as games and entertainment.) Chrissy Teigen just signed on as an investor.
