On June 6, 2023, customers enter the Mission District area of the Dumpling Club. The popular weekly food group is scheduled to end in October.
Dakota T./Yelp
“It was hard starting Dumpling Club, but making the decision to end it was even harder,” Bi wrote. “It took every ounce of courage—more courage than I thought—to make that decision.”
The collaborative food group was formed during the pandemic and quickly gained popularity for its creative interpretations of frozen dumplings and side dishes, prepared by Bi and chef Linda Mei. What started as a small circle of taste testers among her friends and family grew into thousands of customers signing up for a tentative dumpling subscription program and meal “drops” of Bi’s weekday frozen meal packages that are available for pickup or delivery were. Flavor combinations varied from pickled red cabbage with pork to shrimp and scallops to chicken, corn and basil; Some customers drove from across the bay all the way to Marin to sample Bi’s latest creations, which regularly sold out.
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Bi called the news “sad and difficult” and shared that no single factor led to the closure.
“I can say that it’s incredibly difficult to run a small business in post-pandemic San Francisco — especially one that’s low-margin, high-cash flow, and capital-intensive,” she wrote. “Also, I struggled to find the balance between my different roles as a parent, partner, entrepreneur, chef, musician… I often felt like I was failing in one way or another, and living with that feeling every day was simply neither healthy nor sustainable.”
Cathay Bi, founder of Dumpling Club (left) and prep cook Linda Mei (right) in 2020.
Blair Heagerty / SFGATE
Bi, a former Google product manager, conceived Dumpling Club when she was looking for a way to break out of the corporate world, reconnect with herself and work with her hands. The club thrived well beyond its humble beginnings, and earlier this year, Bi opened her Tinker Kitchen space to the public for cooking classes, discussions with town restaurateurs, and other events. Until it closes in October, the Dumpling Club is scheduled to host a September 17 Taiwanese shaved ice workshop with Chef Henry Hsu, September 23 Mooncake workshops with Chef Jessica Fu, and a Mid-Autumn Moon Festival beginning September 28 -30 and are hosting a dumpling making class with guest chef JiYoung Park from ParksKitchenSF on October 1st.
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“This is not the end of my journey as a chef or entrepreneur,” Bi wrote. “I am so proud of all the delicious food we have served up over the past four years, food that is creative, bold and heartwarming, food that that tastes like no other that has always strived to be honest, direct and inclusive.”
Dumpling Club regulars can expect updates later this week on the latest frozen dumpling sales, events and ways to support the team, whom Bi thanked for working with her “through thick and thin” and “hanging out to the end”.
“May I ask you something in the meantime?” Bi wrote at the end of her statement. “Tell me your favorite memory of the Dumpling Club and what made it special. It would lift my spirits tremendously and help me get through the next few weeks.”
The Dumpling Club is located at 3233 22nd St. Open Thursday 4pm to 7pm for dinner, Friday 11am to 3pm for lunch and 11am to 5pm for retail, Saturday 11am to 3pm for lunch and 11am to 3pm to 5 p.m. for retail.