We recently connected with Sandy Tobin and have shared our conversation below.
Sandy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
At Dumpling Inn our mission statement has always been “from our family to yours” and we stand by that. Though we are a small family owned and operated business we feel and believe all 43 members of our team are family. We have been beyond honored and blessed with a very loyal and close team that has truly become family members to us. My father, Phat Vuong is the brains behind how we first came into owning restaurants. He started as a dishwasher and moved his way up to be the executive chef of Panda Inn Horton Plaza. In the late 90’s he decided to branch off and start his own business with the idea of being able to provide the same quality of food but at a more affordable price and a less formal setting. He is a man that came up through the ranks while being the only source of income for a family of 5. We had our financial struggles and at one point not only did my dad work 8am-11pm as a chef he and my mom, Kim picked up a paper route in the mornings to help make ends meet. When he decided start his own business his first goal was to provide a quality homemade meal and service, much like high-end restaurants, but in a family atmosphere. He was able to accomplish that mission with our sister restaurant Minh Ky, but that space is limited. When Mark Sun decided to sell Dumpling Inn we were hesitant at first as this would be a 6000 sp ft businesses that included a large bar. But after sitting down and speaking to Mark we heard what he had envisioned for Dumpling Inn. A vision that was not that far from what my dad had always wanted. A space to span multi generations bringing people together through familiar food recipes and a warm atmosphere. So when you step through our doors at Dumpling Inn you really are being welcomed into our home “from our family to yours.”
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Sandy Vuong Tobin I am the eldest daughter of Phat Vuong. Alongside my sister Priscila Vuong and mom Kim Dang we own and operate Minh Ky Restaurant and Dumpling Inn. We have been serving the San Diego community with our family recipes since 2004 . Minh Ky specializes in hand made wonton noodle soups while Dumpling Inn focuses on handmade dumplings like Xio Long Bao and Potstickers. I come from a dental marketing background and growing up witnessing the long hard stressful hours my parents put in at restaurants it was never something I wanted personally. But hearing the vision and inspiration behind Dumpling Inn and learning of its 1994 establishment in the Convoy area I could not pass up on begin apart of its historic legacy. Of course working along side family especially a sibling had its growing pains but being apart of this family business has brought us significantly closer together. At this point my sister can almost read my mind. At the end of a 10 hour shift, even if its 11:30 pm we still sit down together for a family meal. At my parents age and at mine it truly is a blessing to share in these moments with them, even the hard ones.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Covid 19 could not be a better story of resilience for any restaurateur/entrepreneur. We were one of the first groups at the forefronts of having to navigating ever changing policies while trying to employ our team. One of the hardest things we had to pivot around is in a business where we pride ourselves on friendly and accommodating service we had to turn into regulators, enforcing face masks and social distancing. It was the strangest dynamic/mental change. I am beyond proud of how my team worked together to ensure everyone had some shifts and that things were ok in each others homes. A possibly unforeseen outcome of the shutdowns is the lack of individuals returning to the work force. For over 8 months now we have been short staffed and are having to struggle to keep up with the needs of our guests. From supply shortages to overworked staff we have had to close more days and shorten our hours. Our team have been so resilient as we navigate through all the changes that have been thrown at us. We are so happy after 2 years things have somewhat relaxed and we are able to serve our guests indoors again.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Talk about pivoting, changing our entire 300 seat, 6000 sq foot business into a outdoor, parking lot dining experience. We had to quickly map out and work with our landlords to design a safe dining experience outdoors for our guests while accommodating for the flow of cars coming off Convoy St. Commercial outdoor tent prices soared, we were renting 5 large tents for $1500/month just to seat 16 tables outdoors at 6′ apart. We had to ensure the safety of our team as they held full trays of food while crossing the street. Dealing with weather outdoors was interesting challenge added to the mix. Luckily we live in San Diego where our rainy season is relatively short. We had 1 staff member with a umbrella and on car lookout and 2nd individual carrying the trays of food. We had several close calls but never lost a dumpling. We are very happy to be back safely indoors.
Contact Info:
- Website: dumplinginn.com
- Instagram: Dumplinginn_Sd
- Facebook: Dumpling Inn