Imagine a completely automated quick service restaurant, featuring zero human interaction, where orders are placed over apps and then picked up from small, specialized lockers that keep their contents fresh. To most, this would seem unrealistic, like something out of an old science fiction book.
Entrepreneur Stratis Morfogen aims to lift this concept off the page and into reality with his newest venture: Brooklyn Dumpling Shop. The new eatery will feature over 32 unique dumpling varieties ranging from pastrami to fried apple. Customers can also look forward to the Cro’sumpling, an innovative blend of dumpling and croissant, as well as many different spring rolls and beverages including wine and beer.
Morfogen’s latest venture’s design will combine the merits of the classic automat restaurant style with the cutting-edge technological innovations of the modern age. Whereas classic automats still utilized human employees behind the scenes, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop brings with it new Autoflow technology. “This new technology completely eliminates the need for employees and eliminates the challenges of hiring and managing a staff,” Morfogen outlined.
From order to pick up, every aspect of the shop will be completely automated, making for a very streamlined operation. Not only is the back of the house automated, but the entire customer experience as well. The dumplings are produced in a central commissary daily to ensure freshness. They are then delivered to a proprietary food locker system: Ondo, that was designed with the guidance of New Jersey’s RPI Industries.
Morfogen teamed with RPI’s visionary leader PJ Gavin to create this historic breakthrough. The duo was able to collaborate to design a locker that will feature touchless scanners. This enables customers to scan barcodes from their phones in to unlock the lockers and access their dumpling order. Customers will receive notifications on their phones when their order is ready to facilitate social distancing.
Morfogen’s vision has enabled Brooklyn Dumpling Shop’s customers to easily place their orders through an app or with an in-store, touchless POS kiosk. “I refused to settle for anything less than what I was envisioning as the Tesla of automats,” declared Morfogen. “Especially in an age where people are looking to eat great food without compromising their own safety in the process.”
The complete automation of the Brooklyn Dumpling concept is a massive boon in an environment where safety is the highest priority of customers, employees, and owners. An automated kitchen eliminates the risk of contaminants being brought in and out by staff, as well as the contamination of food. It also does away with the risk of employees coming into contact with customers. The touchless technology integrated into the process also removes the factor of high touch surfaces, such as touchscreens or handles, from the equation. “All of these upgrades and innovations on top of the basic automat formula make for the safest possible environment,” mentioned Morfogen.
“One of the ways people are looking for relief from the stress of their daily life is through their favorite comfort foods. Brooklyn Dumpling Shop makes it so they can satisfy their cravings as safely as possible.” Furthermore, this focus on safety is here to stay. Covid has made it clear what happens when safety standards aren’t taken seriously, so the safety-focused design of Brooklyn Dumpling Shop will continue to be relevant for a long time.
With Morfogen’s long and storied career, he has never taken his eye off of the importance of delectable serving delectable food. Whether it was steaks and chops at his high-end steakhouse or one of the thousands of meals, he provided to first responders earlier this year as those heroes dealt with the challenges of COVID-19, Morforgen’s commitment to quality is unwavering.
Stratis Morfogen is drawing on all of the culinary expertise and experience he’s gained from his other successful ventures to provide us with a fresh, crave-worthy, unique take on the traditional dumpling. Morfogen’s approach was to create a line of dumplings that will appeal to customer through all dayparts. Beyond traditional fillings, customers can now indulge in varieties such as pastrami, Bacon Cheese Burger, Lamb Gyro, French Onion Soup, Philly Cheesesteak, Impossible Meats, Reuben and Peanut Butter & Jelly.
Brooklyn Dumpling Shop has even created dessert dumplings that will offer sweets such as fried apple and ice cream Sunday dumplings. Even more revolutionary is Morfogen’s latest creation, a cross between a croissant and a dumpling, known as a Cro’sumpling. These creations combine the flakiness of a croissant with the shape of a dumpling and will be offered with a bacon, egg, and cheese filling as a tasty breakfast option. A variety of spring rolls, soup dumplings, and beverages will be offered as well.
Stratis Morfogen brings with him a plethora of experience in the restaurant industry that began in his father’s legendary Hilltop Diner. His iconic career includes his work at the helm a variety of establishments in NYC including Philippe Chow, Club Rouge, Gotham City Diner, Seagrill of the Aegean, Aubar, Sessa, as well as co-owner of Brooklyn Chop House in the Financial District.
Once again in much the same way that Elon Musk has challenged the automotive industry, Morfogen has grabbed the baton with Brooklyn Dumpling Shop to pioneer the restaurant industry’s next chapter.