HONG KONG – When the Jollibee Group first announced plans to acquire Cantonese dimsum chain Tim Ho Wan, people wondered how it would fit in the company’s portfolio.

Tim Ho Wan was different from the other brands that the Jollibee Group had acquired. Its roots could be traced back to being a hole-in-the-wall dimsum shop in Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po. Its founders Mak Kwai Pui and Leung Fai Keung once worked at the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel, and opened Tim Ho Wan with the belief the high-quality dimsum should be for everyone.

Tim Ho Wan has since bagged multiple Michelin stars since it first opened in 2009. It was a brand that prided itself in culinary craftsmanship, dimsum served fresh and hot, and accessible quality — slightly different from the quick-service brands that consumers often associate with the Jollibee Group.

Since the Jollibee Group fully acquired Tim Ho Wan in 2025 for S$20.2 million (P892.29 million), the fast-food giant of Filipino tycoon Tony Tan Caktiong has been preparing the dimsum chain for global expansion.

In just over a year of the Jollibee Group’s acquisition, Tim Ho Wan has doubled its store network in Hong Kong from five to 10. It currently has 85 stores across 11 markets, including the Philippines, China, and the United States.

What’s changed?

According to Tim Ho Wan’s global chief executive officer Yeong Sheng Lee, the dimsum chain’s integration into the Jollibee Group pushed them to establish a clear brand identity.

“So, being part of the Jollibee Group allowed us to actually put a lot more focus, to ask ourselves what does the brand stand for, what is the product range that we need to actually deliver, what is the restaurant experience that we need to actually deliver,” he told Rappler in an interview.

Lee shared that Tim Ho Wan embarked on several initiatives, such as upgrading products, retraining team members, and rolling out standard operating procedures across its restaurants. They also worked closer with their franchisees to ensure consistent quality across its stores.

For Lee, the Jollibee Group acquisition did not change Tim Ho Wan’s core principles of serving quality, authentic Cantonese cuisine. But it allowed them to strengthen their internal operations and scale more sustainably.

The result of the process was consistency that can be replicated across several markets — a key tool if a business wants to expand globally.

Lee shared that Tim Ho Wan now has a more consistent menu across its 11 markets, which focuses on dimsum that represents the taste of Hong Kong. The core items include Tim Ho Wan’s iconic barbecue pork buns, rice rolls, various dumplings, and a sponge cake.

But to cater to palates of different markets, Lee said that they are also offering seasonal menu items, such as their black truffle and baked chicken buns — a twin to their barbecue pork buns — and the roselle red rice rolls served with its own tangy sauce.

The refining of operations resulted in a turnaround for Hong Kong’s beloved dimsum chain. Lee said system-wide sales grew 5.2% in the third quarter compared to the first half of the year. Its earnings before taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) also grew four-fold on a quarterly basis.

“So this is a good example of how we’ve actually been able to actually move a lot faster and making sure that all our stores around the world are able to execute similarly, thanks to the systems and processes that we’ve actually built,” Lee said.

Global expansion

Jollibee Group CFO and risk officer Richard Shin said the company sees Tim Ho Wan playing a key role in the fast-food giant’s goal of becoming one of the world’s top five food companies.

According to Shin, the Jollibee Group wants Tim Ho Wan to become the global leader in the dimsum space.

“Currently, there is no restaurant company that has successfully built a brand that leads in this particular category with authenticity, scale, and consistent quality. Tim Ho Wan to us is our answer to address this opportunity,” he said.

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Tim Ho Wan is eyeing to have 20 outlets in North America by 2028, an expansion effort marked by the opening of its Irvine store. This branch is the first company-operated location in the US under Jollibee management.

The Jollibee Group is also currently in the process of segmenting its domestic and international businesses to allow both entities to sharpen their strategic focus. Lee declined to comment on its impact on the dimsum chain as Tim Ho Wan’s parent firm is currently working on the details of the spinoff, but voiced his excitement over the move.

– Rappler.com