Beginning this week, folks in the Milwaukee area can officially order Asian-inspired dishes from Wow Bao, a Chicago-based fast casual eatery serving up bao, dumplings, potstickers and Asian-inspired bowls.
The new ghost kitchen operation, located inside the Fazoli’s at 10833 W. Greenfield Ave., offers delivery through DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber Eats.
On the menu, guests will find items including bao (baozi) with fillings like teriyaki chicken, bbq pork, Mongolian beef, vegetable, coconut custard and cheeseburger; along with potstickers or steamed dumplings (vegetable, ginger chicken) and bowls (teriyaki chicken, Kung Pao chicken or orange chicken). Combos are also available, as are bundles that feed up to 12 people.
Wow Bao is among a cadre of restaurants, including Guy Fieri's Flavortown Kitchen, which are taking advantage of the “ghost kitchen” concept to expand the reach of their brands. These low overhead restaurants operate out of existing commercial kitchens, sans dining room, offering contactless online ordering and delivery to homes and offices.
In Wow Bao’s case, the ghost kitchens (also called dark kitchens) are part of a partnership program conceived prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but which has turned out to be a boon for locally owned businesses and franchises looking for alternative revenue streams.
According to Wow Bao, the program was designed to ensure enough margin that restaurateurs still glean profits, even after fees from third party delivery services. As of March, Wow Bao logged over 240 locations (most ghost kitchens) across the U.S.
Will you be wowed by their bao? Only delivery will tell.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
