Bao co-founder Shing Tat Chung: ‘Diversify, prepare, and avoid being too optimistic’

Should there ever be demand for a hospitality ‘how to’ guide on responding to a global pandemic, the Bao team could write a pretty strong one. Since those initial virus rumours began to circulate at the beginning of this year, the London-based Taiwanese restaurant group didn’t waste any time in mobilising a response. In March, the then four-strong brand – with restaurants in Soho, Borough and Fitzrovia, plus a ‘Bao Bar’ in Hackney’s Netil Market – announced it was due to open its first all-day dining concept, Café Bao, in Kings Cross. Not ideal timing, but as co-founder Shing Tat Chung tells MCA, undeterred by the Kings Cross set back and estate-wide closure, the business set about pursuing a different avenue of opportunity.