Wow Bao
Wow Bao is a Chicago-based, privately held fast-casual and packaged food brand founded in 2003, selling bao, dumplings, and bowls through its own restaurants, catering, packaged retail, and delivery-kitchen partnerships, with 101-250 employees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Wow Bao firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wow Bao
- Website
- https://linkedin.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Wow Bao is a Chicago-based, privately held fast-casual and packaged food brand founded in 2003, selling bao, dumplings, and bowls through its own restaurants, catering, packaged retail, and delivery-kitchen partnerships, with 101-250 employees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wow Bao industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fast Casual Asian Cuisine
- NAICS
- Frozen Cakes, Pies, and Other Pastries Manufacturing (311813)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Frozen Snacks & Appetizers (CRADADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- In-Store Sushi & Asian Prepared Foods (CRAHAKAD)
Keywords
Where Wow Bao is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Wow Bao business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Wow Bao product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wow Bao operates a fast-casual and packaged food brand offering bao, dumplings, bowls, catering, and delivery-kitchen partnerships. The company sells its Asian-inspired menu through its own fast-casual retail locations, packaged retail food products, catering services, and delivery-kitchen arrangements that distribute the menu via third-party delivery platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Wow Bao
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles3 records
Wow Bao technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Wow Bao partnerships and signals
Strategic signalExpansion highlights2 records
Wow Bao competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Pokeworks: Asian fast-casual concept focused on poke bowls. Comparable to Wow Bao in fast-casual Asian-bowl positioning and capital-light growth model, though specializing in a single dish category.
Direct peers
- Pei Wei Asian Kitchen: Asian fast-casual chain offering bowls, dumplings, and noodles. Directly overlaps Wow Bao's menu categories and customer base, though operating at much larger national scale.
- Honeygrow: Asian-inspired fast-casual chain with a comparable menu (noodles, bowls, dumplings) and a similar multi-channel operating footprint. Closely aligned with Wow Bao in scale, category, and target customer.
- Wagamama: Asian noodle and bowl-focused fast-casual brand with a similar street-food-inspired menu. Overlaps with Wow Bao on noodles, dumplings, and bowls, and has comparable brand positioning around Asian casual dining.
- Noodles & Company: Fast-casual chain with a strong Asian-noodle and dumplings menu alongside other global cuisines. Comparable to Wow Bao in fast-casual positioning, menu overlap, and delivery/ghost-kitchen participation.
- Wei Chuan USA: Manufacturer and distributor of frozen Asian foods including dumplings and buns. Directly comparable to Wow Bao's packaged frozen food brand side, competing for the same retail freezer shelf space.
- Din Tai Fung: Global dumpling and bao specialist operating fast-casual restaurants. Highly comparable to Wow Bao's core product focus on dumplings and steamed buns, though Din Tai Fung operates at significantly larger scale and premium price points.
- Teriyaki Madness: Asian fast-casual franchise chain serving bowls, noodles, and similar Asian street-food formats. Comparable to Wow Bao in menu structure, restaurant format, and target demographic.
Broad incumbents
- Panda Express: Largest Asian fast-casual chain in the US. Sets the competitive baseline for category awareness, scale, and supply-chain economics that Wow Bao competes against, but offers a broader Chinese-American menu rather than Wow Bao's focused bao/dumpling niche.
- Jollibee: Global Asian fast-food chain with growing US footprint. Comparable as a large, well-funded Asian casual-dining competitor, though its menu centers on Filipino items rather than the bao/dumplings/bowls core of Wow Bao.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Wow Bao social profiles
Digital presenceWow Bao financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wow Bao leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Wow Bao funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wow Bao M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wow Bao
What does Wow Bao do?
Wow Bao operates a fast-casual and packaged food brand offering bao, dumplings, bowls, catering, and delivery-kitchen partnerships. The company sells its Asian-inspired menu through its own fast-casual retail locations, packaged retail food products, catering services, and delivery-kitchen arrangements that distribute the menu via third-party delivery platforms.
Is Wow Bao a public or private company?
Wow Bao is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Wow Bao founded?
Wow Bao was founded in 2003. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Wow Bao based?
Wow Bao is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Wow Bao's main competitors?
Pokeworks is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Pei Wei Asian Kitchen, Honeygrow, Wagamama, Noodles & Company, Wei Chuan USA, Din Tai Fung and Teriyaki Madness. Broad incumbents are Panda Express and Jollibee.
Does Wow Bao have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wow Bao.
What industry is Wow Bao in?
Wow Bao's product category is Fast Casual Asian Cuisine. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADADAD, Frozen Snacks & Appetizers, with a secondary code of CRAHAKAD, In-Store Sushi & Asian Prepared Foods. Its NAICS code is 311813.