Lumpia Queen to open first brick-and-mortar in Dayton food hall
Jun. 22—The Lumpia Queen is opening its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in W. Social Tap & Table, Dayton's first food hall, this summer.
Owners Catherine and Damon Roberts said they are looking forward to introducing three classic Philippine dishes to the West Dayton area.
After getting married in 2017 and moving to Ohio from Florida, Catherine explained that she wanted to find her passion.
"We tried a lot of different business ventures, but one thing that kept sticking out was her lumpia," Damon said.
"I've been rolling lumpia since I was on my own, and every time I would serve it at potlucks or parties, it was always a hit," Catherine said.
The couple described lumpia as a Filipino spring roll. Damon said it is more crispy than chewy. Customers can order the hand-rolled lumpia with either beef, pork, chicken or veggies stuffed inside.
Catherine explained traditional lumpia uses pork, but after they started the catering business in 2019 and the food truck in 2020, they had customers requesting other meats. She said they also have vegan, gluten-free and dessert lumpia.
What makes The Lumpia Queen's signature dish different from others, is that they also include rice noodles inside the lumpia. Other dishes customers can order include the pancit bowl and adobo bowl.
The couple said they currently have a strong fan base in the Beavercreek, Fairborn and Huber Heights area because of the proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. They said they serve a lot of people in the military that have had lumpia before.
"Almost every other person that comes to the food truck has a story to tell," Catherine said. "That's part of why we love what we do."
As the couple prepares to open their first brick-and-mortar, they said they are excited to not only introduce their food to more people, but continue their food truck business.
"For us, this is just another building block," Damon said. "We had our three to five-year plan and this gives us a chance to see if the brick-and-mortar lifestyle is what we want to pursue or if we want to expand through more food trucks."
"We're nervous and excited at the same time," Catherine added. "There are so many people waiting for this place to open and we want to be well prepared."
W. Social Tap & Table, located at 1100 W. Third St., is a joint venture between Wright Dunbar Inc. and Dillin Corp. The $2.1 million project will transform a former conference center into a food hall with a bar and five other independent businesses including De'Lish, Grind House Coffee & Tea Co., SOCA, ILLYS Fire Pizza and Taco Street Co.
For more information on W. Social Tap & Table, visit the food hall's Facebook page.
—Please note this is one of seven stories featuring tenants in W. Social Tap & Table—
