Remnants of a previous business still linger inside the future home of Angry Dumplings Tea in Farragut − a donut menu written in chalk, leftover tables, stacks of chairs and even a cappuccino machine. That's all about to change.
The South Knoxville hot spot for Asian cuisine is spinning up a second location in the former Status Dough at 10943 Kingston Pike. Owner Jason Chau knew he needed to search for a second building even before the space became available.
His first brick-and-mortar on Sevier Avenue is producing 8,000 dumplings per week, he said, and business increases by nearly 10% each month. Knoxville craves Chau's cooking, and he wants to be able to serve his customers in every part of the city.
"It was just a very simple concept," he told
Knox News. "I never thought it was gonna make it to mainstream."
Chau foresees exponential growth for Angry Dumplings and wants to steadily open more locations of his family-owned restaurant over the next decade. The Farragut location is set to open Sept. 12.
The Angry Dumplings menu is a mix of multiple cuisines − including Vietnamese, Thai, Laos and Chinese − with items including garlic noodles with shrimp, wonton soup, Thai red curry, angry pork dumplings, barbecue pork buns and a variety of milk teas.
"More and more people are coming to Knoxville," Chau said. "I believe a lot of the palate will start changing, and a lot of uniqueness will come to Knoxville. We would love to be one that will slowly start exploring more of the Asian cuisine."
From rock bottom to new heights, Angry Dumplings adding to menu
Chau opened Angry Dumplings with his wife, Vanessa, in 2023 after they moved here from California. There was a time when they hit rock bottom and nearly declared bankruptcy.
"We focused on quality, and by doing that, if it was not good, we threw it away," he said. "We made sure everything was made fresh to the best of our ability. And little by little, we rebuilt our brand and our love for food."
Chau remembers a time when finding food and shelter was all his family could think about.
His family immigrated during the Vietnam War. When they weren't depending on government assistance for food, Chau said he visited friends' houses for a meal. He learned how to cook just by helping out.
Now, with a bigger kitchen at the Farragut location, his team can add more to the menu as Chau rolls out "chapter two" of the Angry Dumplings story this fall.
Knox News reporter Joanna Hayes covers restaurants and retail for the business growth and development team. Email: joanna.hayes@knoxnews.com; Instagram: @knoxeat65. Sign up for Joanna's Eat65 email newsletter to get the latest drink and dining news, as well as restaurant recommendations, at knoxnews.com/newsletters.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Angry Dumplings won over South Knoxville. Soon, Farragut will get a taste | Exclusive
