Xi'an Famous Foods (2005-2021)
Jason Wang's father David Shi opened a noodle stall in Flushing, Queens, in 2005, serving Chinese-Muslim street food. The family grew it into a small New York City chain over the next decade, betting that authentic regional Chinese food could draw a broad following.
The stall became a cult favorite, with lines at its locations and features in national food media.
Xi'an Famous Foods expanded to roughly a dozen locations across New York, showing how a family-run ethnic restaurant can scale while keeping its identity.
Like Le Umu, Xi'an grew from a small operation into a larger footprint by betting that its devoted customer base would follow it to new, bigger spaces.
