Knowing Austin’s proclivity for all things weird, we’re pretty sure locals will be thrilled to slurp up the city’s newest unique food offering.

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop — the country’s fastest-growing dumpling automat concept — is rolling out at least five units in the Austin area. Texas-based franchisee Alex Liebert will grow the concept’s presence throughout Austin.

The five-unit franchise deal comes just months after the grand opening of the concept’s first location in New York City, and is the second multiunit franchise deal Brooklyn Dumpling Shop has made in Texas, as the company also plans to open five units in the Dallas area.

The fast-growing brand, which currently has plans to for 34 units throughout Texas, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida, and has a goal of opening 500 units within five years, comes from the enterprising mind of restaurateur Stratis Morfogen. In hopes of honoring his family’s New York City diner biz, Morfogen began reinventing classic diner staples in delicate dumpling form.

The result: 32 unique plump dumpling varieties — from pastrami, bacon cheeseburger, and lamb gyro to French onion soup, Philly cheesesteak, Reuben, and even peanut butter and jelly — all served with zero human interaction 24 hours a day from state-of-the-art temperature-controlled food lockers.

While it appears to be making a comeback, the automat concept isn’t new. In fact, the souped up vending machines date back to the early 1900s in the U.S., and were often found front and center at restaurants, which would refill the machines with fresh eats once customers dropped in a nickel and attained their grub.

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop’s modern version will no doubt lure hungry late-night eaters, as well as on-the-go foodies who want a fresh bite while maintaining social distance from others in these pandemic times. 

“I was initially drawn to Brooklyn Dumpling Shop’s truly unique and delicious dumpling flavors, as well as the innovative robotics. Stratis’ thoughtful approach and dedication to this concept really stood out to me,” Liebert says. “We are thrilled to introduce this concept to the vibrant food scene of Austin and bring them something they have never tasted or seen before.”   The company specifically targeted Austin, in part, for its many college students, a demographic known to seek out quick and convenient food, often in the middle of the night.

“When Austin was mentioned, I was super excited about bringing our shop to the area,” founder Morfogen says. “As the trend continues, our franchisees are choosing triple-A university town locations, and Austin is a great city for our targeted demographics.”

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