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Automat-style dumpling restaurant coming to Orlando

Franchisee plans 4 locations in South Florida, 1 location in Orlando

Cheesesteak dumplings from the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop (Daniel Kwak)

ORLANDO, Fla. – A restaurant chain born out of the New York City food scene is getting ready to open up shop in Florida and Orlando is on the list of cities set to get its own outpost.

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is an automat-style restaurant. The automat is a relative novelty in American food culture, though it is not a new concept.

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Essentially, the restaurant contains a wall of heated food lockers. Customers put in their money, the door unlocks and you grab your food. It’s kind of like a large vending machine, except with freshly prepared food. This also means the whole transaction is done without any human contact.

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Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, unsurprisingly, focuses its menu on Asian-style dumplings. The twist is that these dumplings are inspired by popular sandwiches. For example, the restaurant serves Rueben dumplings, bacon-cheeseburger dumplings and turkey club dumplings, according to its menu, just to name a few.

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop founder, Stratis Morfogen, standing in front of the automat. (Daniel Kwak)

The five locations planned for Florida are being opened by Marc Silverstone, according to a news release. The release does not offer any background on Silverstone.

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Four of the five Florida locations are planned for South Florida mostly around Miami, according to a company spokesperson. Only one location is currently planned for Orlando. The first Florida Brooklyn Dumpling Shops are set to open in 2022, according to the company. No locations or dates for the Florida restaurants have been announced.

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is a relatively new brand. The first store opened its flagship store in New York City in May 2021. The company has partnered with Fransmart, which helps restaurants — such as Five Guys and QDOBA Mexican Grill — rapidly grow their franchise base, according to a news release.

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop plans to open 250 locations within the next two years, according to the company.

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About the Author
Thomas Mates headshot

Thomas Mates is a Streaming Executive Producer for News 6 and ClickOrlando.com. He also produces the podcast Florida Foodie. Thomas is originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania and worked in Portland, Oregon before moving to Central Florida in August 2018. He graduated from Temple University with a degree in Journalism in 2010.

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