XU Restaurant

What XU Restaurant does

BAO is a privately held Taiwanese restaurant group operating seven locations across London (Soho, Borough, King's Cross, Marylebone, City, Shoreditch, and Battersea), founded in 2012 as a performance art installation and commercialised from 2013 by family trio Erchen Chang, Shing Tat Chung, and Wai Ting Chung. The group runs four site formats — Xiao Chi House, Grill House, Bao Eatery, and Noodle Shop — with a core menu of bao buns, xiao chi (small dishes), rice bowls, grilled dishes, and noodle soups, complemented by cocktails and bubble tea. Four of the seven sites host private karaoke rooms (six KTV rooms in total) with 300,000+ songs, no room hire fee, and a minimum spend model on food and drink, plus digital in-room ordering screens.

The business generates revenue primarily through dine-in at seven London sites (mix of walk-in and SevenRooms reservations), Deliveroo delivery and proprietary click-and-collect, and packaged occasion experiences including birthday, hen-do, and kids karaoke parties (£15–£95 per person). A Webby Award-winning loyalty app, BAOverse, drives repeat visits via BAOcoins and tiered membership (Tourist, Visa, Resident, Lonely Club). Supplementary revenue streams include private venue hire (up to 150 standing at Shoreditch), merchandise (t-shirts, tote bags, cookbooks), and digital or printed gift vouchers sold via a dedicated storefront. The company is founder-owned with no disclosed external investment, employs 200+ staff, and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand at BAO Soho for nine consecutive years and the Sunday Times Best Place to Work 2024 award.

Name

XU Restaurant

Legal name

BAO

Website

https://xulondon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BAO is a privately held Taiwanese restaurant group operating seven London sites (Soho, Borough, King's Cross, Marylebone, City, Shoreditch, Battersea) with six private karaoke rooms, a Webby Award-winning loyalty app, and packaged occasion experiences serving consumer diners, groups, and corporate event clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Karaoke Bars & KTV Lounges (MPAGAIAG), Asian Fast Casual (Pan-Asian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean) (THAFABAE)

Keywords

• Taiwanese restaurants
• Private karaoke venues
• Casual dining hospitality
• Group dining experiences
• Restaurant delivery service

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining (Food & Beverage): Revenue from 7 restaurant locations across London offering Taiwanese cuisine including bao buns, noodle soups, rice bowls, grilled dishes, and drinks. Covers dine-in service across all locations.
2. Karaoke (KTV) Room Bookings: Revenue from private karaoke room bookings across 6 karaoke rooms (New York Room, Taipei Room, Paris Texas Room, Hong Kong Room, Pixel Room, Control Room). No room hire fee; revenue generated through minimum spend requirements on food and drink.
3. Delivery & Takeaway: Delivery partnership with Deliveroo across all 7 locations. Click & collect available at all locations. Dedicated takeout hatches at Borough Market and Shoreditch.
4. Gift Vouchers: Sale of monetary gift voucher experiences available as digital or printed vouchers with codes redeemable in restaurants.
5. Merchandise & Retail: Sale of merchandise including t-shirts, tote bags, and cookbooks available at all restaurant locations.
6. Loyalty Program (BAOverse): Tiered loyalty program generating repeat visits and customer retention. Customers earn BAOcoins on dining.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BAO operates a London-based restaurant group serving Taiwanese cuisine — including bao buns, noodle soups, rice bowls, grilled dishes, and xiao chi (small plates) — across seven locations. Four of the venues also offer six private karaoke (KTV) rooms with over 300,000 songs, generating revenue through minimum-spend packages and tiered party offerings. The group supports dine-in, Deliveroo delivery, click & collect, private venue hire, and gift voucher sales, with the BAOverse loyalty app driving repeat visits.

Product overview

BAO is an award-winning Taiwanese restaurant group operating seven restaurants across London, combining authentic xiao chi (small dishes) with immersive designed interiors. The core offering spans bao buns, rice bowls, grilled dishes, and noodle soups, complemented by six private karaoke (KTV) rooms featuring over 300,000 songs. The BAOverse loyalty app (Webby Award winner) provides tiered rewards, while delivery/takeaway services extend reach via Deliveroo and Click & Collect. Additional revenue streams include private hire venues, karaoke party packages (birthday, hen do, kids), and gift vouchers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BAO Restaurants (Dine-in) Seven award-winning Taiwanese restaurants across London (Soho, Borough, King's Cross, Marylebone, City, Shoreditch, Battersea) serving bao buns, xiao chi (small dishes), rice bowls, noodles, and grilled dishes for dine-in customers.
• BAO KTV Private Karaoke Rooms Six private karaoke rooms (New York Room, Taipei Room, Paris Texas Room, Hong Kong Room, Pixel Room, Control Room) across four venues with over 300,000 songs. No room hire fee; minimum spend of £35 per person on food and drink in a 2-hour slot.
• BAOverse Loyalty App Webby Award-winning loyalty app where customers earn BAOcoins by dining in and inputting receipt codes. Tiered membership (Tourist, Visa, Resident, Lonely Club) unlocks escalating perks and rewards across the restaurant group.
• Delivery & Takeaway Service Food delivery and takeaway service available across all seven BAO locations through a Deliveroo partnership and a proprietary click & collect system, with dedicated takeout hatches at Borough Market and Shoreditch.
• Private Hire & Events Exclusive venue hire for corporate events, launches, large private parties, and celebrations, with dedicated spaces across King's Cross (max 118 standing), Shoreditch (max 150 standing), and multiple private dining rooms.
• BAO Gift Vouchers Monetary gift voucher experiences available as digital or printed vouchers with codes redeemable at any BAO restaurant location.
• Karaoke Birthday Packages Tiered karaoke birthday packages offered in Bronze (£45/person), Silver (£55/person), and Gold (£85/person) tiers, each including 2 hours of private karaoke, themed food, and drinks with a 6-guest minimum.
• Karaoke Hen Do Packages Tiered hen do karaoke party packages offered in Bronze (£50/person), Silver (£65/person), and Gold (£95/person) tiers with KTV sharing menus, drinks, and themed extras.
• Kids Karaoke Parties Family-friendly karaoke package priced at £15 per person with a minimum of 6 guests, including a BAO kids set menu and BAO Mini Tote. Available on Sundays and Mondays at BAO Battersea only.

Quantifiable outcome

• Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition for BAO Soho for 9 consecutive years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DeliveroocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivery partnership with Deliveroo enabling food delivery from all 7 BAO restaurant locations across London.
• SevenRoomscoreTechnology or IntegrationReservation and booking platform used for restaurant table bookings and karaoke room reservations across all BAO locations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Yo! Sushi (YO!): Long-established UK Japanese/Asian casual dining chain with multi-location London footprint. Comparable as a scaled Asian casual operator with branded technology integration, though positioned as conveyor-belt sushi rather than Taiwanese.
• Wagamama: Established UK pan-Asian casual dining chain with strong brand recognition. Comparable as a scaled UK Asian casual dining operator, though positioned more broadly across Asian noodle and rice dishes rather than specialising in Taiwanese cuisine.

Direct peers

• Ping Pong: London dim sum and Asian small-plates chain with multiple sites. Comparable on multi-location London casual Asian dining model, although its cuisine focus is broader pan-Asian rather than Taiwanese-specific.
• Din Tai Fung: Globally recognised Taiwanese restaurant group with locations in London. Directly comparable on cuisine (Taiwanese), premium positioning, and food-led brand, though at substantially larger scale and without the KTV-led entertainment layer BAO has built.
• Busaba Eathai: UK casual dining chain focused on Thai/pan-Asian cuisine with multiple London locations. Comparable on multi-site London casual Asian dining footprint, design-led interiors, and lunch set-menu pricing structure.
• Lucky Voice: UK private karaoke venue chain. Comparable on the private KTV offering, themed rooms, and group-booking-led model, though without BAO's full restaurant service integrated into each room.
• Mr Bao: London-based Taiwanese restaurant and bar group also specialising in bao buns and Taiwanese small plates. Closest direct competitor in terms of cuisine, price point, and London-only footprint, though at smaller scale than BAO.
• Inamo: London Asian-fusion restaurant group notable for integrating interactive in-table ordering technology. Comparable to BAO on the fusion of Asian dining with proprietary in-restaurant tech (ordering, loyalty), though cuisine mix differs.
• Tattu: Premium modern Chinese restaurant group with London and UK regional sites. Comparable on design-led, premium-priced Asian dining with experiential positioning and strong PR profile, though focused on Chinese rather than Taiwanese cuisine.

Emerging players

• Miznon: London-based Israeli street food and pita concept with multiple UK sites. Comparable on design-led casual dining in London with strong press profile and small-plates format, though cuisine category differs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/baolondon
• Instagraminstagram.com/bao_london
• TikToktiktok.com/@bao_life
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xulondon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about XU Restaurant