Jersey Girl Turns Shanghai Wet Market Into Pop-Tart Powerhouse
Camden Hauge, a Jersey-born ad girl turned accidental Shanghai restaurateur, arrived expecting 3-6 months but instead sucker-punched fate by quitting Saatchi & Saatchi after a year. Armed with $20,000 from her uncle and the shocking realization she thought 20 yuan/day was her budget (she secretly saved big), she birthed Egg in 2015, serving China its first avocado toast and homemade Pop-Tarts. She quickly expanded to nine venues including a natural-wine bar Bird and Japanese-inspired Lucky Mart, only to sell half of them by 2021 thanks to rent hikes and pandemic chaos. Now juggling New York-Shanghai life, she’s importing $60,000 worth of quirky Chinese wines taxed at 45%, apparently because cash flow is her cardio.
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Moved to Shanghai for 6 months, ended up building a restaurant empire fueled by mistaken daily budgets, uncle’s cash, and pioneering China’s avocado toast scene. Who knew Pop-Tarts were the gateway drug to global hospitality?
Who needs a business plan when you have thrift-level currency miscalculations and a $20,000 uncle bankroll? Camden’s recipe: hustle, avocado toast, and a side of ‘what just happened.’
Shanghai 2015: espresso machines scarce, Pop-Tarts scarce-ier. Camden swooped in to turn ’em into a mini food empire before rent and pandemics played party poopers.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 10/16/2025 | Author: Lavender Au
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