Michelin-Rated Tim Ho Wan Opening First Restaurant In Texas Today in NewQuest’s Katy Grand
November 7, 2022
KATY, Texas – Michelin-rated Tim Ho Wan will open doors to the public today at its first dim sum restaurant in Texas at NewQuest Properties’ Katy Grand in West Houston.
Chef Mak Kwai Pui, founder of the international chain, has been on site to oversee the highly anticipated opening. He and other chefs from Hong Kong have trained the staff, which is led by Chef Paul Li, a well-known local dim sum specialist with more than 35 years of experience.
“It takes at least 10 years of specialized training or experience to become a Chinese dim sum chef. We were fortunate to find someone so experienced in Houston,” says Yu “Joe” Koyama, principal of Tim Ho Wan USA.
To further ensure the new restaurant’s success, Tim Ho Wan’s executive team has selected a Feng Shui lucky date for the opening. Doors will open about 1:30 p.m. CST today.
“Chinese care about certain aspects, most importantly Feng Shui. Only select days and times are suitable for openings, which is why we chose today,” Koyama explains.
Tim Ho Wan occupies a 5,160-sf end cap in Katy Grand, a super-regional center at the intersection of Interstate 10 and the Grand Parkway/TX 99 in the city of Katy. The interior features about 120 seats, with additional seating on the patio.
NewQuest and Tim Ho Wan have waited nearly two years for the restaurant to come to fruition. Katy Grand will be the international chain’s first opening since the start of the pandemic.
“This is a highly anticipated event for Tim Ho Wan and NewQuest alike,” says Heather Nguyen, a development partner with Houston-based NewQuest. She and Rebecca Le, senior vice president, are Katy Grand’s leasing brokers.
With the Tim Ho Wan opening, Katy is joining the ranks of Las Vegas, New York’s East Village and Hell’s Kitchen, Honolulu and Irvine, Calif. The internationally-acclaimed chain operates 60 restaurants in 13 countries.
Tim Ho Wan’s Michelin accolades include a one-star rating from 2010 through 2021 and a Bib Gourmand honor in 2022 because of its consistently high-quality food worldwide. At each location, fresh ingredients are prepared daily and all dishes made when orders are placed. Michelin doesn’t produce a travel guide for Texas so any starred restaurants hail from outside the state.
“We went to great lengths to recruit Tim Ho Wan to Texas,” Nguyen says. “We are in discussions for other locations.”
NewQuest’s Katy Grand, spanning 29 acres, now sports 208,338 sf of fully leased, mixed-use space, including a 19-screen Cinemark. Key to the destination-driven tenancy is a five-mile trade area boasting 321,000 residents with an average annual household income of $117,000.
“The city’s growth has and continues to be the strong attraction for noteworthy tenants like Tim Ho Wan and PopStroke,” Nguyen says. “It’s an exciting time at Katy Grand.”
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