WaBa Grill

Corporate brand

An American fast-casual restaurant chain centered on Asian-style grilled foods, rice bowls, salads, and lighter meal options.

Last updated August 22, 2026

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Overview

WaBa Grill is an American fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in grilled foods, rice bowls, salads, and other menu items positioned around healthier eating. The brand was founded in 2006 by Kyle Lee, Brian Ham, and Eric Lee. The three founders remained involved in the business at least through 2021, according to the available reference material. WaBa Grill is based in the Southwestern United States and has developed its restaurant network primarily in California, with a smaller presence in Arizona. The chain's central format is a customizable or menu-driven meal built around a rice bowl. Its toppings include chicken, plant-based steak, rib eye steak, salmon, shrimp, and tofu, giving the menu a mix of poultry, seafood, meat, and vegetarian or plant-based choices. The menu also includes salads and distinctive sides and snack items. Among the more recognizable offerings are Boom Boom Tacos, which are served with sesame dressing, green onions, and a mayonnaise-based boom boom sauce. Side dishes include dumplings, wontons, sliced avocado, edamame with kimchi, and jalapeños combined with carrots. WaBa Grill's market positioning is associated with health-conscious fast casual dining rather than conventional burger-led quick service. Its menu emphasizes grilled proteins, rice-based meals, vegetables, seafood, tofu, and plant-based alternatives. This positioning has allowed the brand to participate in the broader fast-casual segment that offers quicker service than a full-service restaurant while presenting meals as more varied or nutritionally conscious than traditional fried-food formats. The chain's expansion has been concentrated in the western United States. As of 2023, reference material reported 115 restaurants: 113 in California and two in Arizona, located in Avondale and Tempe. Southern California accounts for most of the network. The company has also pursued additional development agreements, including proposed growth in Nevada, the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, Central California, and Maricopa County, Arizona. The reported Nevada plan involved eight proposed Clark County stores targeted for opening by 2027, while the other reported development projects involved ten-unit, thirteen-unit, and ten-unit arrangements respectively. These plans indicate an effort to broaden the brand beyond its established California base, although the supplied material does not confirm how many proposed locations ultimately opened. WaBa Grill has received trade-press recognition as a sizable American restaurant chain. Nation's Restaurant News placed it at number 208 on its list of the top 500 restaurant chains in the United States. In 2021, Fast Casual ranked the brand number 45 on its Top 100 Movers & Shakers list. During the early COVID-19 pandemic, WaBa Grill employees joined other restaurant workers in an April 2020 strike calling for protective equipment, hazard pay, and pay during quarantine. The available sources do not provide a final account of the dispute or identify specific corporate policy changes that followed. The supplied reference material does not identify a publicly traded parent, ticker symbol, legal owner, chief executive, or official corporate website URL. WaBa Grill is therefore best characterized as an active, privately held or otherwise non-publicly listed American restaurant brand, although its precise ownership structure is not established by the available material.

History

WaBa Grill was established in 2006 by Kyle Lee, Brian Ham, and Eric Lee. The founders created a fast-casual restaurant concept built around grilled foods and rice-based meals, with a menu intended to offer lighter and more varied choices than conventional quick-service formats. The brand's identity developed around Asian-style flavors, grilled proteins, vegetables, seafood, tofu, and meal combinations that could be served quickly in a bowl or salad format. The company grew principally in the western United States, establishing its largest concentration of restaurants in California. Southern California became the core of the chain's network, while Arizona represented a smaller adjacent market. Available reference material states that the founders continued to be involved in the business as of 2021, but it does not specify their individual operating roles or provide information about later leadership changes. WaBa Grill's menu has remained centered on rice bowls. Customers can select among several protein categories, including chicken, plant-based steak, rib eye steak, salmon, shrimp, and tofu. The menu also includes salads and supplemental items such as dumplings, wontons, avocado, kimchi-seasoned edamame, and vegetables. Boom Boom Tacos provide a more distinctive handheld offering, combining tacos with sesame dressing, green onions, and a mayonnaise-based boom boom sauce. Together, these products support the brand's positioning as an accessible, health-conscious alternative within fast casual dining. The COVID-19 pandemic created a labor-related moment in the chain's history. In April 2020, WaBa Grill employees participated in a strike alongside workers from other restaurants. Their demands included access to protective equipment, hazard pay, and payment during quarantine. The available reference does not document the employer's detailed response, the duration of the action, or a formal settlement. By 2023, WaBa Grill reportedly operated 115 restaurants. California accounted for 113 locations, while Arizona had two restaurants, in Avondale and Tempe. The company was also associated with several proposed expansion projects. These included eight planned restaurants in Clark County, Nevada, with openings targeted by 2027, as well as development agreements covering ten units in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, thirteen units in Central California, and ten units in Maricopa County, Arizona. The source material presents these as expansion plans rather than confirmed completed openings. The brand's scale has been acknowledged by restaurant-industry publications. Nation's Restaurant News placed WaBa Grill at number 208 among the top 500 restaurant chains in the United States. Fast Casual later listed it at number 45 on its 2021 Top 100 Movers & Shakers ranking. No supplied source establishes a public listing, parent corporation, ownership transaction, chief executive, or verified official website URL. Further research would be required to document the company's current corporate structure, leadership, financial performance, and the execution of its announced development plans.

2023
Reported network reaches 115 restaurants
[1]WaBa Grillen.wikipedia.org
Reference material reported 115 restaurants, including 113 in California and two in Arizona.
2021
Fast Casual recognizes WaBa Grill as a mover and shaker
[1]WaBa Grillen.wikipedia.org
The chain debuted at number 45 on Fast Casual's Top 100 Movers & Shakers list.
2020
Employees participate in a pandemic-era strike
[1]WaBa Grillen.wikipedia.org
In April, employees joined other restaurant workers in seeking protective equipment, hazard pay, and pay during quarantine.
2006
WaBa Grill is founded
[1]WaBa Grillen.wikipedia.org
Kyle Lee, Brian Ham, and Eric Lee founded WaBa Grill as an American fast-casual restaurant concept focused on grilled foods and healthier meal options.

Products and positioning

Health-oriented fast-casual dining with Asian-style grilled foods, rice bowls, salads, seafood, tofu, and plant-based options.

Main dishes
Rice bowls
Rice bowls are the core of WaBa Grill's menu and the clearest expression of the brand's fast-casual format. They combine a rice base with grilled or prepared toppings, allowing the chain to serve chicken, plant-based steak, rib eye steak, salmon, shrimp, or tofu in a compact meal. The range supports both conventional protein choices and vegetarian or plant-based preferences.
Main dishes
Salads
Salads provide an alternative to the chain's rice-centered meals and reinforce its health-oriented positioning. Available reference material identifies salads as a regular menu category but does not specify the full range of greens, toppings, dressings, or protein combinations. They can be understood as a lighter-format option within the broader grilled-food offering.
Handheld meals
Boom Boom Tacos
Boom Boom Tacos are a distinctive WaBa Grill menu item covered with sesame dressing, green onions, and a mayonnaise-based Boom Boom sauce. Their combination of taco presentation and Asian-influenced sauce elements gives the chain a handheld product alongside its bowls and salads.
Side dishes
Sides and snacks
WaBa Grill's side selection includes dumplings, wontons, sliced avocados, edamame served with kimchi, and jalapeños mixed with carrots. These items extend the menu beyond complete bowls and salads and provide smaller portions or accompaniments with Asian-style flavor cues.

Brand decisions

Expansion beyond the California coreStrategy
Background
After building a network concentrated in California, WaBa Grill was associated with development plans in Nevada, Texas, Central California, and Arizona.
Action taken
The reported plans included eight proposed Clark County, Nevada, stores targeted for 2027, a ten-unit Dallas–Fort Worth agreement, a thirteen-unit Central California agreement, and a ten-unit Maricopa County, Arizona, agreement.
Aftermath
The supplied material does not confirm how many of these proposed restaurants opened or whether all development agreements remained active.
Source

Recent events

2021
WaBa Grill appeared on Fast Casual's Top 100 Movers & Shakers list[1]WaBa Grillen.wikipedia.org
Other
Fast Casual ranked WaBa Grill number 45 on its Top 100 Movers & Shakers list.
2020
WaBa Grill employees joined a restaurant-worker strike during the COVID-19 pandemic[1]WaBa Grillen.wikipedia.org
Other
In April 2020, WaBa Grill employees joined other restaurant workers in demanding protective equipment, hazard pay, and compensation for periods of quarantine during the early COVID-19 crisis.
WaBa Grill ranked among the leading U.S. restaurant chains[1]WaBa Grillen.wikipedia.org
Other
Nation's Restaurant News placed WaBa Grill at number 208 in its ranking of the top 500 restaurant chains in the United States.

Sources6 sources

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