As the manager of Dumpling House, which his wife Dan Jiang owns, Jacob Jiang said his favorite thing about managing the restaurant is making new friends.

“When we moved here 15 years ago from California, we had no friends or family here. Now we have a lot of friends because of the restaurant,” Jacob said. “It’s not just a way to make a living, it's a way to make social connections.”

Backstory

When Jacob Jiang was 21 years old, he moved to California from China and worked at his parents’ Chinese restaurant. In 2009, he and Dan moved to Frisco and opened Dumpling House in Plano in 2015 followed by a Frisco location in 2020. Three years ago, Jiang said they transferred ownership of the Plano location to a friend, who will change the business name in January.

The inspiration


Jacob said they could have opened a Chinese restaurant but decided to fill what they saw as a food void.

“After we moved to Texas, we tried to do something unique, because there were a lot of Chinese food [restaurants],” Jacob said. “We finally decided we will do dumplings because the dumpling market was empty.”

However, the decision served up a list of uncertainties.

“Maybe it’s risky doing dumplings because nobody knows what they are. Maybe we will fail really fast, or maybe it builds up really quickly,” Jacob said. “We just took a chance and dumplings became popular.”


What’s on the menu?

Dan is the head chef and comes in everyday to make sauces and menu items, which allows for consistency the customers appreciate, Jacob said.

“Dumplings are our traditional food. Every family in northern China knows how to make them,” Jacob said. “We know how to make them right. We make fresh dumplings, we don't do frozen.”

Dumplings can be ordered steamed, pan fried or boiled.


“After a few years, we figured out that only Chinese people like boiled dumplings. Before we had a big menu for boiled dumplings. Now, we only have one kind,” Jacob said. “Most people like pan fried and steamed.”

In addition to dumplings, the restaurant has a wide variety of traditional Chinese restaurant menu options such as Kung Pao chicken, Szechuan beef and sesame Chicken. Jacob said he uses recipes from his parents’ Chinese restaurant for these dishes.

Quote of note

Jacob said he analyzes why restaurants are successful and why they close.


“When you first open, people will give you a try. After two or three years, they figure out if you’re good or not good,” Jacob said. “If you keep good quality, people will always think about you. They say, ‘When I want to eat dumplings, I always choose Dumpling House.’”