Ed Lee is co-founder and partner of Wahoo’s Fish Taco, responsible for the expansion and development of what has become one of the most iconic fast-casual restaurant brands in the United States. With more than 40 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, he has helped his co-founding brothers Wing Lam and Mingo Lee establish Wahoo’s as a pop culture mainstay in California and beyond. He also co-founded Our House Coffee Shop and Night Club, Schroff Clothing, Kitsch Bar, Rooster Cafe, Tackle Box, Toast Kitchen & Bakery, Fill Bakeshop, Tableau Kitchen & Bar and he started a company called Seven Hour Drive that makes a patented water-saving device for restaurants and commercial kitchens.Ed is frequently invited to speak and give lectures at various universities including the University of Southern California (USC), the University of California, Irvine (UCI), California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), Chapman University, and his alma mater Vanguard University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business. He is on the Board of Vocational Visions which helps disabled adults get jobs and is on the Board of UCI’s Antrepreneur.In 2018, Ed was named One of OC’s Most Influential by the OC Register and was written up in the same publication a year later as “The Restaurant Whisperer” for his extensive mentoring of young restaurateurs. He was nominated as Entrepreneur of the Year by the OC Business Journal in 2022 and 2023, and in 2022, was named Restaurateur of the Year by the Journal. In 2022, he was awarded Pioneer of the Year by the Asian Business Association and included in OC Business Journal's OC 500, a yearly compendium of the 500 most influential people in Orange County. In 2023, Wahoo's Family Foundation was awarded Outstanding Founders on National Philanthropy Day by the Association of Fundraising Professionals - Orange County. In 2024, Wahoo's was nominated for the CSUF Family Business Hall of Fame Awards in the category of Outstanding Family Business Catalyst.In addition to Ed's accolades, 2022 was a monumental year for him. He co-authored After: Learning How to Live After the Death of a Child, a vulnerable retelling of the tragic death of a son and a father's journey to integrate this heart-wrenching loss into his life. In 2023, he received a Community Service Award nomination by the Mental Health Association for dedicating himself to speaking engagements to share his story of loss and grief. He has been married to his wife for 29 years and together they raised two sons. In his spare time, you can catch him surfing.
Listed skills include Event Planning, Social Media Marketing, Event Management, Marketing Strategy, and 11 others.
