subsidiary of mandarin holdings group lp delaware . industry restaurants founded 1980 headquarters 3600 american blvd. west bloomington minnesota 55431 area served minneapolis saint paul key people mike loney coo and lorne goldberg owner number of employees 1 000 website leeannchin.com leeann chin is a bloomington minnesota based asian quick service restaurant chain with about 50 locations mostly in the minneapolis saint paul area . the chain was founded by its namesake leeann chin funded by carl pohlad banker and former owner of the minnesota twins and actor sean connery . 1 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 . 2 it is currently owned by los angeles based financier west coast capital principal 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 in 1957 . she opened her first location in minnetonka minnesota in 1980 and another in st. paul in 1984 . general mills bought the name to her restaurants and the restaurants in 1984 with plans to expand the chain nationally . 3 however locations opened in chicago faltered and general mills put an end to the opening new restaurants . the restaurants and name were bought back from general mills by leeann chin inc. in 1988 by chin with the help of capital dimensions venture fund . 1 4 lorne goldberg bought the chain in 2007 . goldberg invested about 8 million in the chain and quickly revitalized the decor of the restaurants and improved its menu 5 introducing new items that were initially developed for mandarin express restaurants . 6 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 and byerly s grocery stores . 7 8 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 and later opened a location in duluth minnesota . 9 in 2013 the chain launched its asiafit menu a selection of low calorie 400 calories stir fry dishes following a trend among casual dining restaurants for lighter healthier meals . 10 goldberg told the press that he is interested in being an owner and building the leeann chin brand over many years to come . 7 11 references edit a b intrigue surrounds leeann chin restaurants . minneapolis star tribune . retrieved november 26 2014 . top 100 leeann chins asian cuisine no. 80 . fastcasual.com . retrieved november 23 2014 . harlow tim 2010 03 12 . leeann chin woman behind a chinese food empire dies at 77 . star tribune . retrieved 2010 03 23 . leeann chin inc. shelves asia grille . minneapolis st. paul business journal . retrieved november 23 2014 . inside track investments in leeann chin are paying off . minneapolis star tribune . retrieved november 26 2014 . new owner revitalizes leeann chin with investments in menus decor . nation s restaurant news . retrieved november 23 2014 . a b leeann chin ceo plans expansion and yogurt . minneapolis st. paul business journal . retrieved november 23 2014 . leeann chin owner buys pick up stix from carlson cos. . minneapolis st. paul business journal . retrieved november 23 2014 . leeann chin expanding to duluth . minneapolis st. paul business journal . retrieved november 26 2014 . leeann chin jumps on low calorie restaurant trend . minneapolis st. paul business journal . retrieved november 26 2014 . leeann chin reversal of fortune . minneapolis star tribune . retrieved november 26 2014 . external links edit official website v t e fast food and fast casual restaurant chains in the united states chicken chains coffeehouse chains pizza chains hamburgers a & w back yard big boy burger king carl s jr. checkers rally s cook out fatburger five guys freddy s fuddruckers the habit hardee s in n out jack in the box johnny rockets krystal mcdonald s roy rogers shake shack smashburger sonic steak n shake wayback wendy s whataburger white castle asian l & l hawaiian barbecue manchu wok panda express pei wei asian diner pick up stix sarku baked goods au bon pain auntie anne s bruegger s cinnabon corner bakery cafe dunkin donuts einstein bros. great american cookies honey dew donuts krispy kreme mrs. fields nestl toll house panera bread pretzelmaker pretzel time shipley do nuts tim hortons t.j. cinnamons wetzel s winchell s beverages argo tea biggby coffee caribou coffee bean & tea leaf coffee beanery dunn bros gloria jean s jamba juice juice it up orange julius peet s planet 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hero newk s eatery penn station port of subs pdq potbelly quiznos rax runza sandella s schlotzsky s steak escape subway togo s tubby s tudor s biscuit world which wich seafood arthur treacher s captain d s h. salt esquire ivar s long john silver s skippers seafood & chowder house defunct bresler s ice cream brigham s burger chef carrols d lites druther s henry s hamburgers hot n now hot sam pretzels naugles red barn sandy s zantigo retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title leeann chin & oldid 720826242 categories fast food chains of the united statesregional restaurant chains in the united stateschinese restaurantscompanies based in minnesota navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact 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