CT Native Opens Unique Automat Dumpling Restaurant Near UConn

MANSFIELD, CT — Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, a restaurant that features an automat concept, officially opened its first franchised location near the University of Connecticut Tuesday.

It is the first of five units operated by veteran franchisee and state native Matt Rusconi and is located at 106 Royce Circle near the UConn campus. It is not only the first Connecticut franchise, but the first franchised location to open for the brand.

"I am extremely excited to open the first Brooklyn Dumpling Shop franchise location here in Downtown Storrs," Rusconi said. "I have a long personal and professional history with this area as I grew up in eastern Connecticut and my dad graduated from UConn, not to mention that this is the fourth business I’ve been involved with in the area."

Rusconi called the shop a "one-of-a-kind quick service restaurant" that "serves to be a perfect fit for a college town like Storrs." Guests can place an order on their phone or via one of the restaurant’s point-of-service kiosks, then receive a text notification to pick up their food from a specially marked, temperature-controlled locker, which will open automatically after the customer scans a provided barcode.

The menu features more than 30 different dumpling combinations, from Buffalo Ranch to Peanut Butter and Jelly, and other favorites popularized by New York's famed Brooklyn Chop House.

"The amount of buzz we’ve already seen online around the store makes this a really exciting time for me and certainly for Matt," said Stratis Morfogen, the founder of Brooklyn Dumpling Shop. "The ‘direct messages’ have been piling in and the doors have hardly been opened – we’re ready to share our dumplings with the UConn community and look forward to doing so across Connecticut."

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop has sold locations in over 10 states and continues to close deals. The Connecticut grand opening is slated to be the first of many in 2022. Morfogen said.