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Wynna Wong

The man who helped expand Hong Kong’s Michelin-rated dim sum chain Tim Ho Wan to other parts of Asia has expressed confidence in new owner Jollibee Food Corporation, while also saying the original founders should stay on as advisers to preserve the integrity and authenticity of the brand.
Robert Chua Wah-peng, broadcaster and businessman, told the Post earlier this week that Tim Ho Wan’s new Filipino owner was a “very respected company”.
But he added: “I do hope they retain and convince [the founders] ... to stay on as consultants.
“It would be sad if it is totally divorced from the original [people] going forward.”
Philippine-based fast-food giant Jollibee announced earlier this week it was buying the remaining 8 per cent stake in Tim Ho Wan for S$20.2 million (US$15.3 million).
Tim Ho Wan was founded by Hong Kong chefs Mak Kwai-pui – formerly of the three-Michelin-starred Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons Hotel – and Leung Fai-keung, with the first branch opening in 2009 in Mong Kok.
The restaurant, known best for its baked pork buns, went on to earn a Michelin star the following year. Hailed as “the world’s cheapest Michelin-star restaurant”, it expanded across Hong Kong.
Chua and brother Harry secured the master franchise rights in Asia-Pacific for Tim Ho Wan in 2013, taking on the job of the brand’s expansion in the region outside of Hong Kong, eventually growing it to more than 40 shops.
“They [Tim Ho Wan] got their Michelin star, and of course, a lot of food and beverage industry people began approaching them – this was in the very early days,” Chua said.


The former broadcaster, who came to Hong Kong from Singapore at the age of 21, was a founding staff member of broadcaster TVB and is credited with creating the popular variety show Enjoy Yourself Tonight, which became the longest-running live show in the city, airing from 1967 to 1994.
Chua said he was entrusted to create the show by the broadcaster’s then-general manager, Australian Colin Bednall, who gave him the opportunity despite him being “just a kid”.
The show brought him and his brother, a property magnate in Singapore, the “luck and fate” to win the bid for a stake in Tim Ho Wan in 2013.
He said neither he nor his brother had any experience in the food and beverage industry, but Tim Ho Wan’s co-founder Mak happened to be a fan of Enjoy Yourself Tonight.
“They awarded me the franchise because I think they trusted me … [Mak] knew who I was,” he said, adding his reputation of being “very serious” with his work throughout his time at TVB aided the win.
“At TVB, [Bednall] shouldn’t have given me Enjoy Yourself Tonight, and likewise with Tim Ho Wan, they shouldn’t have given it to me with all the food and beverage professionals out there, but they did.”
But it was also because of the Chuas’ inexperience that allowed them to “think outside the box”.
Industry veterans might have marketed Tim Ho Wan with conventional dim sum restaurant strategies, but the brothers “elevated” the brand right away into a more premium experience.
The Chuas sold their stake in Tim Ho Wan two years ago, but Robert Chua said he kept in touch with the founders.

Tim Ho Wan now runs about 80 stores in 11 markets, including Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Melbourne, Tokyo, Macau, South Korea and Manila.
Chua expressed mixed emotions about the recent full takeover by Jollibee Food Corporation, saying he trusted the company given its success and significance in the industry, but he also felt sad it could not remain in Hong Kong hands.
Other Hong Kong brands bought out by foreign companies in recent years include fast-casual noodle joints Tam Jai Yunnan Mixian and Tam Jai Sam Gor, which were acquired by Japanese restaurant operator Toridoll in 2018.
“It’s sad, you know?” he said of the phenomenon. “I respect [Jollibee] very much – they are even bigger than McDonald’s in certain places.
“Tim Ho Wan is still a Hong Kong brand, it just so happens the ownership has gone to Jollibee.”


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Jollibee should tap Tim Ho Wan founders’ expertise, says businessman who grew Hong Kong brand in Asia

“Tim Ho Wan is still a Hong Kong brand, it just so happens the ownership has gone to Jollibee,” businessman Robert Chua says. Photo:  Edmond So

A Tim Ho Wan outlet at K11 Art Mall in Tsim Sha Tsui. Tim Ho Wan runs about 80 stores in 11 markets including Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Melbourne, Tokyo, Macau, South Korea and Manila. Photo: Eugene Lee

Jollibee parent fully acquires Hong Kong’s Michelin-rated Tim Ho Wan dim sum chain

Jollibee said Tim Ho Wan would become its flagship brand for Chinese cuisine. Photo: Eugene Lee

Jollibee Food Corporation, which runs fast-food chains across Asia, previously owned 92 per cent of the dim sum company. Photo: Eugene Lee

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Hong Kong’s catering industry enjoyed a 10 to 15 per cent increase in business on Tuesday, an industry leader said. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Simon Wong, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Tourists at Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Jelly Tse

News

Hong Kong

Robert Chua looks back over his career in Hong Kong, including time at TVB, and reveals mixed emotions over Jollibee’s acquisition of dim sum chain


Robert Chua looks back over his career in Hong Kong, including time at TVB, and reveals mixed emotions over Jollibee’s acquisition of dim sum chain.
