Manchu Wok
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Fast Food |
| Founded | 1980 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Founders | Jack Lew |
| Headquarters | Markham, Ontario, Canada |
Area served |
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| Products |
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| Parent | MTY Food Group |
| Website |
www |
Manchu Wok Inc. is a Canadian Chinese-themed fast food restaurant chain in the United States and Canada. The chain operates 200 stores, primarily in shopping mall locations. It was owned by Hong Kong-based Café de Coral, and now it is owned by Canada-based MTY Food Group since 2014.[1][2]
Despite the chain's name, the menu does not feature any dishes from traditional Manchurian cuisine and instead contains mostly American Chinese cuisine and Canadian Chinese cuisine.
History
The first store was opened by Dr. Jack Lew and other Hong Kong immigrants in 1980 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.[3] Lew hired food service equipment consultant Alfred Grech, a Maltese immigrant, to design and help with the building of the first 33 stores. In 1992, Lew sold the company to Scott's Hospitality Inc.[4] At the time of the sale, there were 113 Manchu Wok units in Canada and United States.[5] Under new ownership, there were 237 Manchu Wok units in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom by April 1992.[5] By 1996, there were 245 Manchu Wok when parent company Scott's Hospitality was acquired by Laidlaw Inc.[6] In 2000, Laidlaw sold the company to a group of investors headed by Ken Fowler and Café de Coral.[7][8] At the time of the sale in 2000, there were 74 locations in Canada, 119 locations in the United States and 2 in Poland.[8][9]
Expansion outside Canada
In 2003 and 2004, Manchu Wok expanded its operations to US military bases in Santa Rita, Guam; and Okinawa, Japan, respectively. It also has location on a U.S. Army garrison in Korea,[10] and Ramstein Air Base in Germany.[11] and US Army Base, Grafenwohr, Germany.
References
- ↑ Ma, Stanley (18 December 2014). "MTY completes the acquisition of Manchu Wok, SenseAsian and Wasabi Grill & Noodle" (Press release). CNW Group.
- ↑ "MTY to buy Manchu Wok". Canadian Restaurant News. October 24, 2014.
- ↑ "ManchuWOK - History". Manchu Wok. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ↑ "Scott's to buy Manchu Wok. (Scott's Hospitality Inc.)". Nation's Restaurant News. August 21, 1989 – via Highbeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
- 1 2 Roberts, Betsy (April 20, 1992). "Manchu Wok Tries To Carve Fast-food Niche". Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.
- ↑ "Laidlaw to Acquire Scott's Hospitality". New York Times. April 23, 1996.
- ↑ "Troubled Laidlaw sells Manchu Wok". CBC News. July 25, 2000.
- 1 2 "Manchu Wok goes to Hong Kong fast food chain". Ottawa Business Journal. October 3, 2000.
- ↑ "Hong Kong's Cafe de Coral in Manchu Wok takeout". The Globe and Mail. October 4, 2000.
- ↑ "Manchu Wok". Retrieved 3 February 2008.
- ↑ Voss, Michael (5 August 2009). "Phase II of KMCC set to open". Ramstein Public Affairs, US Air Forces in Europe. Retrieved 16 August 2009.