Tim Ho Wan
Hong Kong restaurant chain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tim Ho Wan (Chinese: 添好運) is a Hong Kong dim sum restaurant chain. Having known previously for being "the world's cheapest Michelin-star restaurant", the chain has since expanded and now has franchises in 12 countries.[3][4]
- Mak Kwai-pui
- Leung Fai-keung
| |||||||||||
.jpg) Tim Ho Wan Sham Shui Po branch | |||||||||||
| Genre | Chinese cuisine (Hong Kong); Dim sum[2] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | March 2009 | ||||||||||
| Founders |
| ||||||||||
Area served | Asia-Pacific | ||||||||||
| Owner | Jollibee Group | ||||||||||
| Website | http://www.timhowan.com.hk | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 添好運 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 添好运 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
History
Tim Ho Wan was founded in March 2009 by Mak Kwai-pui (a former chef at three Michelin star restaurant Lung King Heen) and Leung Fai-keung, with their first location being a 20-seater restaurant in Mong Kok.[5] Mak had stated that, "the food scene in Hong Kong globalized and I saw less and less authentic Cantonese food", and that by opening Tim Ho Wan he wanted to "keep the tradition alive at an affordable price".[6] The name Tim Ho Wan means "to add good luck".[7]
Within a year of opening, the original Tim Ho Wan in Mong Kok gained a Michelin star.[8]
Local expansion
The original Mong Kok location relocated to Olympian City in 2013. The chain has seven additional branches in Hong Kong. They are located in Central, North Point, Taikoo Shing, Tseung Kwan O, Sha Tin, Shum Shui Po, and West Kowloon Station.[4]
Franchise
The Tim Ho Wan Group was owned by Mak and Leung (50% equity holding each), and the group owns all branches in Hong Kong. The Group also collects fees by franchising out their brand globally; all Tim Ho Wan head chefs at these franchised locations must be experienced dim sum chefs, and go through a mandatory 4-week training session in Hong Kong.[7]
Ownership
The Asia-Pacific franchise rights was held by Tim Ho Wan Private Limited and includes 39 branches in 9 Asia-Pacific markets (excluding Hong Kong, as Tim Ho Wan Group had previovusly retained direct control of their Hong Kong branches). The franchise rights in the United States and Japan was held by Japanese dining group WDI Group. They had operated 8 branches, with 2 in Tokyo, 2 in New York City, 1 in Irvine, California, 1 in Las Vegas, 1 in Honolulu and 1 in Katy, Texas.[9][10] The master franchise rights for Asia-Pacific were acquired in 2018 by Jollibee Group for approximately US$33 million;[11] the group took full ownership of the entire company in 2024.[12]
