Starry Kitchen Trying to Break Kickstarter With Half A Million Dollar Goal

Starry Kitchen is at a crucial moment. Starting last Friday, the crafty, publicity-stunt-loving pop-up concept founded by Nguyen and Thi Tran commenced a Kickstarter with aims to raise $500,000. Why the high bar? Well, they want to finally have the chance to fully capitalize a restaurant from the ground up. Here's the catch: if Starry Kitchen doesn't hit their goal within 30 days, they will end forever.

At the exact moment (Monday morning), they're at just under $10,000, which less than 2% of the total fund just three days in (and 27 days remaining). They're going to need a lot more help to reach the crowd-funding goal. Interested investors can be eligible for a slew of rewards, from private tastings and cooking classes to immortalization on the new restaurant's walls.

When asked where the proposed restaurant would land, the Trans have suggested that they intend to stay in burgeoning Chinatown. At the moment, their pop-up inside Grand Star Jazz Cafe is scheduled to come to an end (on their terms, no one elses) by January 31.

Read the whole release and Kickstarter campaign below, but remember that if you're brave enough to throw the Trans $10,000, Nguyen will get a unicorn tattoo on his arm, with YOUR face on it. But if you just want to get another taste of those delicious crispy tofu balls (and save their "balls" while at it), just contribute in any amount.

Starry Kitchen's #SaveOurBalls ..and our Restaurant!

Short blurb:
We own a restaurant pop-up... we started out of our humble apartment. It's time for us to grow a pair and Go BIG, or Go HOME moment.

The Go BIG, or GO HOME MOMENT! (aka WE'RE DOING IT OUR WAY or NOT AT ALL)
After 5.5 years, some of those personal mistakes eventually led to having to sell our space, becoming a pop-up, moving twice, fending for ourselves to keeping our employees and customers with us, finally landing in Chinatown as part of this amazing revitalization that's happening as we speak AND keeping Starry Kitchen ALIVE!

What success we HAVE had has all come from us NOT playing by the rules. Whenever we play by "the rules" we've always failed, but every time we break them and make our own rules: us, our staff and ultimately our customers ALL win. Not everyone will understand that, and that's OK because we're happy to help lead EVERYONE to greener and tastier (Asian) pastures on this journey for all that support us and not.

We used to have a brick-and-mortar, and we've grown a LOT being a pop-up.. so it's time to get back to having a REAL brick-and-mortar again, BUT do it right, go BIG and have a place that truly feels like STARRY KITCHEN the moment you walk in and do right by not only our customers but also our staff to fully realize what Starry Kitchen can be... or go home. No half-assing it this time. We don't like it, customers don't like it, the staff doesn't like it.. no one likes it, so why do it anymore UNLESS we can do it right.

And if we can't do it RIGHT, we're going to shut it ALL DOWN. Not in a dramatic move to pull on the heartstrings of people, but more to say we've really enjoyed this ride and are ready to move on.. BUT hopefully "move on" means move on to the next CRAZY chapter in this Starry Kitchen saga. We're not ready to give up, which is why we're going to give it our ALL for this Kickstarter.

We want to stay in Chinatown and continue to be part of the community of (what I like to call) #theNewKidsofChinatown, apply all the success we've been lucky to experience and more importantly the lessons of failure as well as we forge on to be crazier and tastier than we can ever imagine possible... but we need our own place.

IS THERE A PLAN B?
NOPE, this IS the plan. This is not the "Go Big or Go to Plan B Moment!" This is our LAST STAND and we're putting all our eggs in this basket. We hope you'll support (and enjoy the eggs while you're at it too) :)