Leeann Chin is a

Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington is a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, on the north bank of the Minnesota River, above its confluence with the Mississippi River, south of downtown Minneapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 89,987, m ...

-based Asian

quick service restaurant A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast-food cuisine and has minimal table service. The food served in fast-food restaurants is typicall ...

chain, with over 50 locations throughout the Midwest, mostly in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. The chain was founded by its namesake, Leeann Chin, and funded by Carl Pohlad (banker and former owner of the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

) and actor

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

. The concept received Best Chinese Food and Best Takeout Food as well as being voted No. 80 in a list of the country's top 100 by fast casual restaurant industry website FastCasual.com in 2011. It is currently owned by

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

-based financier and former investment banker Lorne Goldberg, who also owns the popular Asian chains Pick Up Stix and Mandarin Express. The chain offers chicken entrees, in addition to beef and shrimp options, prepared in Mongolian, Hunan, and Szechuan styles from mild to spicy. The restaurant recently added low calorie options and has its own proprietary frozen yogurt named Red Cherry. The concept was founded by Leeann Chin, a Chinese immigrant who moved to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

in 1957. She opened her first location in Minnetonka, Minnesota in 1980 and another in St. Paul in 1984.

General Mills General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company or ...

bought the name to her restaurants and the restaurants in 1984 with plans to expand the chain nationally. However, locations opened in Chicago faltered and General Mills put an end to opening new restaurants. The restaurants and name were bought back from General Mills by Leeann Chin Inc. in 1988, with the help of Capital Dimensions Venture Fund. Lorne Goldberg bought the chain in 2007, through his Los Angeles-based Mandarin Holdings. Shortly thereafter, Goldberg invested about $8 million in the chain to revitalize the decor of the restaurants and improve its menu, introducing new items that were initially developed for Mandarin Express’ restaurants. The new items and location remodels quickly accounted for an increase of about 20 percent of sales. Goldberg also moved away from operating takeout counters within Lunds & Byerlys grocery stores. In 2011, Leeann Chin Inc. began to expand outside of its base in Minnesota's Twin Cities with opening of its Fargo, North Dakota restaurant. As of 2018, Leeann Chin has locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and a location in Maryland at

Baltimore-Washington International Airport Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport , commonly referred to as BWI or BWI Marshall, is an international airport in the Eastern United States serving mainly Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. With Dulles Internat ...

. In 2013, the chain launched its AsiaFit menu, a selection of low calorie stir-fry dishes, following a trend among casual-dining restaurants for lighter, healthier meals. Goldberg told the press that he is interested in being an owner and building the Leeann Chin brand over many years to come.

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* {{Fast-food chains of the United States Fast-food chains of the United States Regional restaurant chains in the United States Chinese restaurants Companies based in Bloomington, Minnesota 1980 establishments in Minnesota Restaurants established in 1980