Tim Ho Wan () is a

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

dim sum Dim sum () is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch. Most modern dim sum dishes are commonly associated with Cantonese cuisine, although dim sum dishes also exist in other Chinese cu ...

restaurant chain originating from

. Known for being "the world's cheapest Michelin-star restaurant", the chain has since expanded and now has franchises in 12 countries. In November 2024, the company was acquired by

Jollibee Foods Corporation Jollibee Foods Corporation (abbreviated as JFC; doing business as, dba Jollibee Group) is a Philippine multinational corporation, multinational company headquartered in Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines. JFC is the owner of the fast food brand ...

of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

History

Tim Ho Wan was founded in March 2009 by Mak Kwai-pui (a former chef at three Michelin star restaurant

Lung King Heen Lung King Heen () is a fine dining Cantonese restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Its kitchen is run by chef de cuisine Chan Yan-tak, who came out of early retirement in 2002 for the Hotel. The restaurant has earned many commendations ...

) and Leung Fai-keung, with their first location being a 20-seater restaurant in

Mong Kok Mong Kok (Chinese language, Chinese: 旺角), also spelled Mongkok, often abbreviated as MK, is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The Prince Edward, Hong Kong, Prince Edward subarea occupies the northern part of Mong Kok. As one of the major sho ...

. 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". The name Tim Ho Wan means "to add good luck". Within a year of opening, the original Tim Ho Wan in Mong Kok gained a

Michelin star The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic ...

Local Expansion

The original Mong Kok location relocated to

Olympian City Olympian City () is a shopping arcade, shopping and residential building, residential complex built on Land reclamation in Hong Kong, reclaimed land in Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong, next to the MTR Olympic station. It is one of the main shop ...

in 2013, and the chain has 5 additional branches in Hong Kong.

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. In November 2024, the company was acquired by

of the

Asia-Pacific

The Asia-Pacific franchise rights are held by Tim Ho Wan Private Limited and includes 39 branches in 9 Asia-Pacific markets (excluding Hong Kong, as Tim Ho Wan Group retains direct control of their Hong Kong branches, and Japan). The master franchise rights for the region were acquired in 2018 by

for approximately .

Europe, the USA, and Japan

The franchise rights in Europe, the United States, and Japan are held by Japanese dining group WDI Group. They currently operate 8 branches, with 2 in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, 2 in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, 1 in

Irvine, CA Irvine () is a planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the cit ...

, 1 in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, 1 in Waikiki, and 1 in

Katy, TX Katy is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in the Greater Katy area, itself forming the western part of the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Homes and businesses may have Katy postal addresses without being in the City of Katy. The city ...

References

External links

* {{Food chains in South Korea Michelin-starred restaurants in Hong Kong Restaurants in Hong Kong Restaurants in the Philippines Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong Michelin-starred Chinese restaurants