San Francisco’s popular Dumpling Club to close

“Starting Dumpling Club was hard, but choosing to end it was infinitely harder,” Bi wrote. “It took every ounce of my courage — more courage than I thought I even had — to make this decision.”

The communal food group was born during the pandemic and quickly grew popular for its creative takes on frozen dumplings and side dishes prepared by Bi and prep cook Linda Mei. What started as a small circle of taste testers among their friends and family flourished into thousands of customers who signed up for a makeshift dumpling subscription program and food “drops” of Bi’s weeknight frozen meal kits, which were available for pickup or delivery. Flavor pairings rotated from pickled red cabbage with pork to shrimp and scallops and chicken, corn and basil; some customers drove from across the bay and as far as Marin to try Bi’s latest creations, which regularly sold out. 

Bi called the news “sad and difficult,” sharing that no single factor led to the closure.

“I can say that it is spectacularly hard to run a small business in post-pandemic San Francisco – especially one that is low-margin, high cash flow, and capital-intensive,” she wrote. “Additionally, I struggled with finding balance between my different roles as a parent, partner, business operator, chef, musician… I often felt I was failing in some aspect or another, and living with that feeling everyday just wasn’t healthy or sustainable.”

A former Google product manager, Bi conceptualized Dumpling Club as she sought to find a way to break out of the corporate world, reconnect with herself and work with her hands. The club blossomed far beyond its humble beginnings, and earlier this year, Bi opened up her Tinker Kitchen space to the public for cooking classes, discussions with city restaurateurs and other events. Leading up to its closure in October, Dumpling Club is slated to host a Taiwanese shaved ice workshop with chef Henry Hsu on Sept. 17, mooncake workshops with chef Jessica Fu on Sept. 23, a mid-autumn moon festival celebration from Sept. 28-30, and a class on dumpling making with guest chef JiYoung Park of ParksKitchenSF on Oct. 1. 

“This isn’t the end of my journey as a chef or an entrepreneur,” Bi wrote. “I am so proud of all the delicious food we served over the last four years, food that is creative and brave and soul-warming, food that tastes like no one else’s food, that always strove to be honest and direct and inclusive.” 

Dumpling Club regulars can expect updates later this week regarding its final frozen dumpling sales, events and ways to support the team, who Bi thanked for working with her “through thick and thin” and “staying until the very end.” 

“In the meantime, can I ask you for one thing?” Bi wrote at the end of her statement. “Write to me with your favorite Dumpling Club memory and what made it special. It would buoy my spirits tremendously and help me get through the next few weeks.”

Dumpling Club is at 3233 22nd St. Open Thursdays 4 to 7 p.m. for dinner, Fridays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for retail, Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for retail.