Tinn's will hit the road in July to join Panda Fest vendors in Twin Cities

ROCHESTER — Leading with its Banh-Mi sandwiches, Tinn's Grilled Philly Steak Subs made the cut to join more than 100 vendors at a massive Asian food and culture festival coming to the Twin Cities. Tinn’s owner Leroy Slininger said that out of thousands of applicants, the Second Street shop was chosen to join the more than 100 Asian food vendors at the upcoming Panda Fest by the Mall of America on July 11 to Jul 13. The traveling outdoor food festival, which started in New York City, expects to have thousands in attendance.

ADVERTISEMENT While Tinn’s was founded by legendary Rochester restaurateur the late Tien Danh in 2005, the sandwich shop that specializes in Philly steak subs isn’t well known for its Asian cuisine. So how did it become a vendor at an Asian food festival? “Our Bahn-Mi sandwich is what got us in there. We’ll probably also have an Asian bowl and egg rolls,” said Slininger.



Tinn’s added the famous Vietnamese sandwich to its menu last summer. Slininger said the Bahn-Mis have quickly become some of the shop’s most popular sandwiches. “It's blowing up here in Rochester.

We started by selling 50 Bahn-Mis over a weekend. Then it went from 50 to 400 a weekend. Our Bahn-Mis are insane,” he said.

“Right now, we have four different varieties. When we find more space, we probably could add another 15 more.” Adding a concession trailer, which they hope to have Rochester’s Thursdays Downtown events this season, is one step that Tinn’s is taking to address the demand that is outstripping its space.

“Unfortunately, we lost the prime location next door with the Link Bus Rapid Transit taking the (spot) that we were going to expand into. We're still looking around the area for the ideal spot. It's getting harder and harder because our customers want parking and seating,” said Slininger.

The current Tinn’s opened at 1219 Second St. SW, across from Mayo Clinic’s Saint Marys Hospital , in February 2024. ADVERTISEMENT Tien Danh originally created Tinn’s as a full restaurant spin-off of his popular Grand Junction booth in the former food court in the Galleria At University Square.

He died in 2014..