by Alex Gonzalez
The word “kuai” is a Mandarin word for “quick,” and Kuai’s Dallas Parkway storefront encompasses all things quick. At Kuai’s first ever brick and mortar outpost, Founder Jeff Hancock and crew work hard to keep the customers happy, by way of providing a fresh, clean space where lovers of Asian cuisine can dine on healthy and inexpensive food, all of which is prepared and delivered quickly.
Kuai first opened in 2006 in the form of a food court stall at Republic Tower. Hancock had been looking at food truck options in Houston, however, the city of Houston didn’t have the appropriate means or permits for food trucks. He and his brother took note from one of his favorite dumpling shops and later decided on downtown Dallas as the first location.
“It came about with the Dallas Pkwy location, located by The Galleria, is the biggest store to date, serving both lunch and dinner and offering both indoor and patio seating. With the opening of this new location, Hancock is actively open to suggestions from his customers.
“Our customers are largely involved in our menu, which is really fun,” Hancock says. “In almost every menu category, there’s customer influence.”
Some of Kuai’s most notable menu items include the Hot Drop Soup, which is a combination of the Hot and Sour and Egg Drop soup. Another interesting item is the Spring Roll Soup.
“There was a lady in here who was eating Won Ton soup,” Hancock recalls. “After she had finished the won tons, she dropped the spring roll into the soup, and now, we’ve got Spring Roll Soup on the menu.”
There are no fryers or microwave ovens in Kuai’s kitchen. Every food item is cooked prepared fresh and made-to-order.
“We try to make reasonable adjustments that fit within who we are and what’s important to us, in terms of cooking things that are fresh, that we can make quickly and that we can deliver at a reasonable price,” Hancock says.
Kuai’s Dallas Parkway location is open daily for lunch and dinner.
