Little Bao Boy

About Little Bao Boy

Little Bao Boy was founded in 2016 by James Ooi, starting out as a pop-up before growing to three permanent sites in Leeds as well as one in Manchester, along with a residency at Shelter Hall Brighton and Kabannas in Newcastle. In 2022, it signed with Sessions, the growth platform for original food brands and launched a residency at London pub The Sun & 13 Cantons.

The following year, it signed for a deal to provide F&B at Roxy Leisure’s debut King Pins site in Manchester, and as further agreement to provide the food offering at Roundhouse in London’s Camden. Sessions work with Little Bao Boy in over 50 sites for delivery licensing.

“Little Bao Boy was the best-selling Deliveroo menu in Leeds during covid, and having seen huge success in their own sites, we began working together and have since scaled to 50-plus locations,” a Sessions spokesman said. “All North Brew sites, Little Bao Boy's original sites, are now powered by Sessions, and we have brought the brand to multiple residencies including Fuller’s and Camden Roundhouse. Sessions power the supply chain so the protein arrives at sites already made, making it incredibly easy to quality control and protects the IP of their incredible recipes.”

In August 2026, Sessions acquired Little Bao Boy - which by then had one physical location each in Leeds and London alongside a national presence through a network of dark kitchens. The company said its delivery-first strategy and digitally led presence has enabled Little Bao Boy to deliver more than 340,000 orders to date, with a 431% year-on-year-growth.

Following the acquisition, Sessions aims to continue this growth, further expand the brand nationally, grow its quick service restaurant presence through franchising and take Little Bao Boy international. Sessions said the acquisition aligns with its long-term growth strategy to give founders a route to exit whereby they can take a step back from physical operations but continue to be involved in their business without the operational burden of running sites.

Ooi said: “The last five years have been hugely exciting for us, taking us from Leeds to a national franchise, and it’s incredible that Sessions has now acquired the brand, offering us an exit from the business while we can continue to have creative input and offer culinary development for Little Bao Boy.”

Dan Warne, founder of Sessions, added: “Having worked with Little Bao Boy for five years, we’re excited to enter this new chapter in our relationship with the team. It’s been a hugely successful partnership so far and we can’t wait to take this brand even further. James will maintain a minority holding in the brand to support creative and culinary development and share in the future upside growth delivered through the Sessions platform. The acquisition really showcases what we can do for food brands that are looking for an exit strategy, and we’re actively looking to acquire additional food brands.”

Why franchise with Little Bao Boy

• ✓Little Bao Boy is now available for franchise through Sessions. It has so far serviced more than 5.3 million households, with 350% year on year order growth and an average order value of £22. “We’re here to redefine franchising and break the mould,” a Sessions spokesman said. “Operators are constrained to franchise one single brand from their site, and one that can’t move with changing consumer profiles or the times. Our partners can franchise our full range of brands, and we are constantly adding new ones to our portfolio.
• ✓“We deliver original food to you. We seek it out in global streets and develop it with people who have a fresh take. Then, we partner with venues across the country to offer on-demand delivery. We're on the other side of the order button in 300 venues and counting. The kind of people creating original food can’t be everywhere all at once, but we can.
• ✓“We've worked out the logistics – from taste testing hundreds of chicken wings to training chefs to perfecting the burger box – so that we can get more original food to more people. Since 2020, we’ve scaled 12 food brands, partnered with 300+-plus independent businesses, and launched curated residencies in iconic venues. Not to mention founding and operating Shelter Hall in Brighton.
• ✓“We take everything we know and use it to empower your local restaurant, pub or venue to deliver our food. It’s on your kitchen table in 30 minutes because we've spent 10,000 hours figuring out how to do it.”