Bao Brings 7-Outlet London Chain to Singapore with Pop-Up Stall

London restaurant chain Bao will open a temporary fast-food site in Singapore on Nov. 11, testing the market ahead of a planned permanent venue in 2027.

The British business, which operates seven outlets in London, has teamed up with Singapore hospitality firm The Lo & Behold Group to launch the concept under the name Bao Fast Foods at New Bahru mall.

Trading runs through Dec. 28 as founders Shing Tat Chung, Erchen Chang, and Wai Ting Chung bring the brand to Southeast Asia for the first time.

The Format at New Bahru

The ground-floor stall combines a counter-service restaurant with a convenience store layout. Shelves carry packaged snacks imported from Taiwan, including instant noodles and crisps, alongside grab-and-go chilled items such as egg mayonnaise sandwiches and salads.

Hot orders will focus on Taiwanese-inspired items such as fried chicken, bao steamed buns, and beef noodles. It tests an operational model built around faster turnarounds and smaller footprints than the sit-down restaurants the company operates across central London.

Testing Asian Demand

Western hospitality brands frequently expand eastward by franchising proven casual-dining concepts. Bao reverses that flow, taking a brand built in the UK and attempting to sell Taiwanese street food back to an Asian market where street stalls and convenience chains already offer cheap alternatives.

Singapore gives the brand a bilingual testing ground with high retail rents and sophisticated consumer spending. The local partner, The Lo & Behold Group, brings local property relationships and an established footprint across lifestyle developments, mitigating prime leasing risks for the London team.

Path from London Market Stall

Founders Shing Tat Chung, Erchen Chang, and Wai Ting Chung started Bao more than a decade ago as an outdoor stall at Netil Market in east London. The business expanded into seven permanent dining sites across London neighbourhoods before developing the fast-food iteration.

In June, Chung and Chang ran a one-month test pop-up in Taipei to study convenience-store merchandising and refine recipes with local suppliers. That Taipei trial provided the operational blueprint now debuting in Singapore.

Next Steps for the Format

Management views the Singapore trial as the launchpad for broader regional distribution if the unit economics hold up. Chung pointed out the lack of Taiwanese concepts competing against global burger and fried chicken chains across the region.

The New Bahru pop-up wraps operations on Dec. 28, with the founders targeting a permanent Singapore location during the first half of 2027.