This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Dragon Inn is Overland Park’s oldest continuously operating restaurant — a family-run Chinese institution founded in 1975 by To-Ping Tsui that has outlasted decades of competition, two locations, and a full generational handoff to become a downtown OP landmark.12

Description

Dragon Inn occupies a well-worn spot in downtown Overland Park that has served the same family recipes for over fifty years. The dining room features traditional Chinese designs and art alongside red booths, and the menu anchors on Peking and Szechuan preparations. House specialties include Crispy Duck and Sizzling Hot Beef, with a broad selection of vegetarian options. The restaurant is open six days a week for lunch and dinner service.3

The restaurant’s longevity has made it a touchstone for multi-generational KC families. Regulars have been dining there since childhood, and the kitchen’s consistency is a recurring theme in customer accounts. The restaurant also holds an unlikely place in KC dining history: Richard and Theresa Ng apprenticed at Dragon Inn before going on to found Bo Lings, the Chinese restaurant group that itself became a Johnson County institution.2

Dragon Inn’s 50th anniversary in 2025 marked a half-century of the Tsui family’s presence in the KC dining scene — a tenure that has seen the restaurant consolidate from multiple locations down to the original Overland Park flagship, which remains the sole operating location.2

Ownership and history

Dragon Inn was founded in 1975 by To-Ping Tsui, who had previously worked as a chef at notable restaurants in Hong Kong, China, and at the Landmark Inn in Long Island, New York, before bringing his Peking and Szechuan expertise to Overland Park.1 The Tsui family grew the brand to include a second location at Corinth Square in Prairie Village, which operated for 24 years before closing December 31, 2011, when the lease expired.2

The Prairie Village closure was a business decision driven by the expiring lease and economic conditions at the time, not a reflection of demand — Thomas Tsui and his sister Catherine Kot consolidated operations back to the original Overland Park address. As Kot noted at the time: “It’s the same food, the same family recipes, just a different location.”2

Thomas Tsui now operates the restaurant as part of a continued family effort. Ownership has remained within the Tsui family across the full 50-year run, with no ownership change or outside investment identified.12

Sources

Disputes

None at this time. Note: the 2011 JoCo Post article references the original address as “7500 W. Santa Fe” while all current listings use “7500 W 80th St.” These are distinct streets in downtown OP; the current address (W 80th St) is confirmed by Yelp, restaurant.com, and DoorDash as of 2026. The 2011 reference may reflect a historical address name or article error — no discrepancy in operating location.

Footnotes

  1. https://dragon-inn.res-menu.net/ — Dragon Inn official menu site. Asserts: Founded 1975 by To-Ping Tsui; Thomas Tsui is current owner and chef; Peking and Szechuan cuisine; biography cites Hong Kong, China, and Landmark Inn NY experience. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2011/11/11/dragon-inn-at-tail-end-of-24-year-run-in-prairie-village-will-close-dec-31-7584/ — Johnson County Post, Nov 2011. Asserts: Thomas Tsui and Catherine Kot own Dragon Inn; Prairie Village location closing after 24 years; original OP location at 7500 W. Santa Fe opened 1975; Bo Lings founders Richard and Theresa Ng previously worked at Dragon Inn. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  3. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2022/03/25/5-to-try-chinese-picks-%F0%9F%A5%A1-143510/ — Johnson County Post, Mar 2022. Asserts: Dragon Inn ranked among top 5 Chinese restaurants in Johnson County by reader vote; Thomas Tsui owner; traditional décor with red booths; loyal multi-generational customer base. ↩

See also

  • Registry
  • Owner-And-History-Research-Toolchain
Categories
  • Locally owned
  • Overland Park Ks