Taiyaki NYC

What Taiyaki NYC does

Taiyaki NYC Inc., operating privately since its September 2016 founding in Manhattan's Chinatown, is a Japanese-inspired fast-casual dessert retailer that produces and serves taiyaki ice cream cones — fish-shaped waffle shells baked fresh to order on specialized griddles using custom molds imported from Taiwan and Japan with proprietary large-mouth geometries designed to hold soft serve. The product line centers on these cones (filled with red bean or custard and topped with matcha, black sesame, vanilla, or chocolate soft serve churned in small batches in-house) and extends to traditional taiyaki pastries, weekend-only soufflé pancakes at the Manhattan flagship, mochi donuts, and beverages including matcha lattes, frappes, and taro slush. Vegan and lactose-free soft serve options exist at the Toronto location. Differentiation rests on the proprietary mold design, on-site small-batch production, the use of matcha imported from Japan, and the photogenic nature of the product, which has generated significant organic social-media reach under the #taiyakinyc hashtag since launch.

The company's go-to-market is a direct-to-consumer, retail-led model with a deliberate social-first acquisition engine: a flagship Instagram presence, earned media from national food and lifestyle outlets, and limited-time brand collaborations (Monopoly Go/Scopely in 2024, Rilakkuma in 2023, Winnie the Pooh). Distribution comprises four to five owned-and-operated storefronts — Manhattan Chinatown (Baxter Street), Williamsburg, Boston Seaport, Miami, and Toronto — supplemented by pop-ups (e.g., Flushing Queens Crossing), a full-service mobile catering arm for corporate and private events, and Square-based digital gift cards. Pricing is unit-based: traditional taiyaki from $3, ice cream cups from $4, fish cones from $7 (Toronto $8), lattes/frappes around $5.31, and specialty floats up to $10. Co-owners Jimmy Chen and co-founder Steven Wong lead the company with no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing.

The business exhibits the hallmarks of a brand-led, single-category retail concept rather than a technology platform: pricing is per-transaction, there is no app, no API, no integrations, and no AI/ML capabilities referenced in the input. Revenue is generated almost entirely at the point of sale (cones, cups, drinks, pastries) with episodic catering and gift-card contributions. Expansion to date has been incremental and self-funded, with a Google Form used to solicit franchise or partnership inquiries, suggesting an intent to scale unit growth without yet having formalized the vehicle.

Name

Taiyaki NYC

Legal name

Taiyaki NYC INC.

Website

https://taiyakinyc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Taiyaki NYC is a privately held Japanese-inspired dessert retailer founded in 2016 that serves taiyaki ice cream cones, soft serve, soufflé pancakes, and mochi donuts across company-owned storefronts in Manhattan, Williamsburg, Boston, Miami, and Toronto, with mobile catering and gift-card channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Dessert Retail

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bubble Waffle, Crepe & Specialty Dessert Kiosks (THAFAGAK), Dessert Cafes (Coffee + Desserts) (THAFADAH)

Keywords

• Japanese ice cream
• Taiyaki desserts
• Soft serve
• Dessert catering
• Mochi donuts

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Dessert Sales: Direct consumer sales of taiyaki ice cream cones, cups, and traditional taiyaki pastries at physical storefront locations. Core revenue stream from individual customer purchases.
2. Catering & Events: Full-service catering for birthdays, corporate gatherings, weddings, and events. Offers preset and fully customized packages including transportation, staff, setup, and cleaning. Customized menu/flyers available.
3. Gift Cards: Digital eGift cards sold via Square in any amount, valid only at specified locations (Manhattan, Boston Seaport).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Taiyaki NYC operates a fast-casual dessert retail chain selling fish-shaped (taiyaki) waffle cones filled with soft serve ice cream, alongside traditional taiyaki pastries, soft serve cups, soufflé pancakes, mochi donuts, and Japanese-inspired beverages. The cones are made fresh on specialized griddles using custom fish-shaped molds imported from Taiwan and Japan.

Product overview

Taiyaki NYC is a Japanese-inspired ice cream and dessert shop founded in 2016, offering a portfolio of products centered around its flagship Taiyaki Ice Cream Cones — fish-shaped waffle cones made fresh in-house and filled with soft serve. The core offering includes traditional taiyaki (fish-shaped cakes with red bean paste), soft serve ice cream in various flavors, soufflé pancakes (weekend-only at Manhattan), mochi donuts, and beverages like lattes and frappes. The company also provides mobile catering services for events and sells gift cards. The product portfolio is unified under a single fast-casual dining experience, with no modular platform architecture — all items are available at retail locations or through the catering service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Taiyaki Ice Cream Cone The flagship product: a fish-shaped waffle cone made fresh in-house on a special griddle, filled with red bean paste or custard at the tail, and topped with soft-serve ice cream in flavors such as matcha, black sesame, vanilla, and chocolate. Sold to individual walk-in consumers.
• Traditional Taiyaki Traditional Japanese fish-shaped cake made from waffle or pancake batter, served warm and filled with either azuki red bean paste or custard, sold without ice cream for about $3.
• Soufflé Pancakes Fluffy Japanese-style soufflé pancakes available Saturdays and Sundays for the first three hours at the Manhattan location only. Sold to walk-in customers.
• Mochi Donuts Gluten-free rice-based donuts available at retail, with regular variants containing eggs, milk, rice, wheat, gluten, and soy.
• Soft Serve Ice Cream Small-batch soft serve ice cream available in flavors including matcha, black sesame, vanilla, chocolate, and seasonal varieties, with vegan and lactose-free options. Served in cups or fish cones.
• Lattes and Frappes Japanese-inspired beverages including matcha lattes and frappes made with matcha imported from Japan, priced at approximately $5.31. Oat milk substitution available.
• Catering Services Mobile catering for birthdays, corporate gatherings, weddings, and events, offering preset and fully custom packages with hard-serve ice cream, traditional taiyaki, toppings, drizzles, transportation, staff, setup, and cleaning.
• Gift Cards Digital eGift cards sold via Square in any amount, redeemable only at the specified purchased location (Manhattan, Boston Seaport, or Miami).

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 3000 people across 4 locations during National Ice Cream Day 2024 event

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Monopoly Go / ScopelycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 July 2024Taiyaki NYC partnered with Monopoly Go and Scopely for National Ice Cream Day 2024 (July 21). Featured customized ice cream cones with Mr. Monopoly's iconic top hat and mustache. Gave out prizes including hats, shirts, board games. Event served 3000 people across 4 locations with line stretching 4 NYC blocks. Event was an OMMA content award finalist.
• RilakkumaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRilakkuma collaboration featuring the lazy bear character. Collaboration ended March 2023. The brand asked fans when they should bring back the collaboration via Instagram.
• Winnie the PoohminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration with Winnie the Pooh show featuring new Yuzu flavor with honey drizzle. Available for limited time in NYC and Miami, with Boston coming soon. Called the 'Winnie The Pooh Hunny special' featuring a honey drizzle.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Mister Softee: Iconic mobile soft-serve ice cream vendor — adjacent business model (small-batch soft serve served in iconic format) and a useful reference point for the soft-serve component of Taiyaki NYC's offering.
• Kura Sushi USA: Asian-origin U.S. restaurant concept with proven cross-border retail scaling and brand-IP optionality (kura-revolving sushi, branded merchandise) — a thematic reference for international Asian-F&B brand expansion.

Broad incumbents

• Salt & Straw: Multi-city artisanal ice cream chain with broader portfolio and venture backing — comparable premium-positioning but at larger scale and broader category scope.
• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Specialty ice cream brand with retail locations and grocery CPG distribution — comparable premium positioning and product innovation cadence.
• Häagen-Dazs: Mass-market premium ice cream brand with global retail and foodservice presence — represents the incumbent competitive set for any premium ice cream concept.

Direct peers

• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: NYC-origin premium artisan ice cream brand with multi-city retail footprint, cult following, and vegan/dairy offerings — directly comparable in product category, urban retail model, and brand positioning.
• Snowdays: Shaved-snow dessert concept spun out of Asian street-food traditions with a similar Instagram-first, photogenic-format playbook and limited retail footprint.
• 10 Below Ice Cream: Rolled Thai-style ice cream served as a novelty experience in small-format urban storefronts — directly comparable as a trend-led, Instagram-driven Asian-inspired dessert concept.
• Chinatown Ice Cream Factory: Long-standing Manhattan Chinatown ice cream parlor with Asian-inspired flavors; a same-neighborhood peer for Taiyaki NYC's flagship Chinatown location.
• Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream: NYC independent ice cream parlor known for highly differentiated, photogenic flavors and a strong Instagram brand — comparable boutique dessert positioning and social-media-driven traffic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/taiyakinyc
• Instagraminstagram.com/taiyakinyc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/taiyaki-nyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Taiyaki NYC