Leeann Chin facts for kids
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| Industry | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 in Minnetonka, Minnesota |
| Founder | Leeann Chin |
| Headquarters | Bloomington, Minnesota |
|
Number of locations
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More than 50 |
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Area served
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Minnesota, North Dakota |
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Key people
|
Mike Loney, COO |
| Owner | Lorne Goldberg |
|
Number of employees
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1,000 |
Leeann Chin is a popular Asian quick service restaurant chain. It has over 50 locations, mostly in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area in the Midwest of the United States. The chain was started by a woman named Leeann Chin. Famous people like banker Carl Pohlad and actor Sean Connery helped fund it.
Today, Leeann Chin is owned by Lorne Goldberg. He also owns other Asian restaurant chains like Pick Up Stix and Mandarin Express. The restaurant has won awards for its Chinese food and takeout options.
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About Leeann Chin
Leeann Chin is known for its quick and tasty Asian meals. Most of its restaurants are found in Minnesota. However, you can also find them in other states like North Dakota.
The restaurants offer many different dishes. You can choose from chicken, beef, or shrimp. These are prepared in various styles, from mild to spicy. They also have special low-calorie meals. Plus, they offer their own frozen yogurt called Red Cherry.
How It Started
The Leeann Chin restaurant chain was founded by Leeann Chin herself. She was a Chinese immigrant who moved to Minnesota in 1957. She opened her very first restaurant in Minnetonka, Minnesota, in 1980. A few years later, in 1984, she opened another one in St. Paul.
In 1984, a large company called General Mills bought her restaurants. They wanted to open Leeann Chin restaurants all over the country. But some new locations, like those in Chicago, did not do well. So, General Mills stopped expanding the chain. In 1988, Leeann Chin Inc. bought the restaurants and the name back.
New Owners and Growth
In 2007, Lorne Goldberg bought the Leeann Chin chain. He invested about $8 million to make the restaurants look better. He also improved the menu. New food items were added, which helped sales go up by about 20 percent.
Goldberg also changed how the restaurants operated. He stopped having takeout counters inside grocery stores. This helped the company focus on its main restaurant locations.
Expanding Across the US
In 2011, Leeann Chin started to open restaurants outside of Minnesota. They opened a new location in Fargo, North Dakota. As of 2024, Leeann Chin has restaurants in several states. These include Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa.
They also have locations in major airports. You can find them at Baltimore-Washington International Airport in Maryland. There's also one at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia.
Healthy Choices
In 2013, Leeann Chin introduced a new menu called AsiaFit. This menu offers stir-fry dishes that are low in calories. This was part of a bigger trend where many restaurants started offering healthier meal options.
Lorne Goldberg has said that he plans to own Leeann Chin for many years. He wants to continue building and growing the brand.
