The Chop Chop brand – a division of Jian’s Dumplings, which supplies Sainsbury’s and numerous restaurants – has been allocated £1m of working capital to develop 10 sites across the UK.
Each site, of which Chop Chop currently operates two in Edinburgh, will cost approximately £100,000, depending on premium levels and fit-out costs.
Seeking large city sites
The inaugural restaurant in Haymarket opened in 2006 and a second opened on Leith Waterfront last month. CEO Roy King told BigHospitality's siter publication Restaurant magazine that he is looking for sites offering between 80 and 120 covers in towns and cities of at least 250,000.
“We’re looking at Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham in the North and Midlands, several in London and possibly units in Bristol and Brighton,” he said.
King’s wife, Jian Wang, oversees the food, which is based on the cooking of north-east China – specifically the Jilin province, known for its boiled and fried dumplings. The menu includes a large range of dumplings, soups, cold salads and traditional meat dishes alongside more familiar Chinese offerings including spicy crispy beef, sweet and sour spare ribs and noodle dishes.
A new high-capacity factory set to open in Edinburgh this month will supply all the units.