Wing Lam on the Secret Sauce Behind Wahoo’s Fish Tacos' 35-Year Success
In this episode, Wing Lam, owner of Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, shares insights on building a 35-year restaurant brand, influencer marketing, delivery challenges, and post-pandemic dining, offering valuable lessons on growth, branding, and business resilience.
Wing Lam
Owner, Wahoo’s Fish Tacos
Wing Lam is the owner of Wahoo’s Fish Taco, a popular fast-casual chain blending Asian, Brazilian, and Mexican flavors. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, he grew up in the restaurant business before launching Wahoo’s with his brothers in 1988. Beyond business, Wing is a dedicated philanthropist and public speaker. He serves on the boards of Share Our Strength, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Surfrider Foundation. He also launched the California Love Drop, delivering meals to frontline workers during the pandemic.
In this episode of Restrocast, Wing Lam, co-founder of Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, shares the secrets behind building a thriving restaurant brand for over 35 years. From starting small to scaling smart, Wing reveals how his unique approach to marketing, customer engagement, and business resilience has kept Wahoo’s relevant in an ever-changing industry.
He dives into influencer marketing before social media, his strategy of partnering with athletes and musicians, and how Wahoo’s became a hotspot for action sports communities. Wing also discusses the impact of delivery and ghost kitchens, why dine-in still drives restaurant profits, and the evolving landscape of the post-pandemic restaurant business.
With humor and real-world insights, Wing shares why experience-driven dining is the future, how he balances family and business, and the importance of building relationships with vendors, employees, and customers. He also talks about his California Love Drop initiative, which is giving back to the community while strengthening brand loyalty.