Restaurant that sells 20 million bowls of its specialty debuts in the Bay Area

"At the Sichuan restaurant, sauerkraut fish - or suan cai yu - is a signature. In Mandarin, "suancai" translates to "sour vegetable," commonly referred to as Chinese sauerkraut. Tai Er's sauerkraut fish, comprising sliced snakehead fish and pickled mustard greens in a pork bone broth, is hands-down its bestseller. "Pretty much every single table orders it," said Kevin Liu, marketing director for Tai Er's North American operations. "People come here for this. It's the one you come back and order, come back and order, maybe pairing it with other dishes.""

"Globally, Tai Er peddles 20 million bowls of sauerkraut fish annually. The restaurant brand may be new to the Bay Area, but it was founded a decade ago and has more than 600 locations in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Macau, Singapore, Canada, Thailand, Indonesia and New Zealand. Although New York and Southern California are each home to fast-casual iterations, the 90-seat San Mateo venue marks its first full-service restaurant in the U.S. A larger outpost is expected to open by year's end at Santa Clara's Valley Fair mall. "These two locations fit our requirements," Liu said of the decision to double-down in Silicon Valley. Both checked key boxes for the company: good placement on a street corner or in a mall, solid foot traffic, and a well-populated and diverse community. "We want to test the concept of this more elevated dining experience," Liu continued. "If it's a good model, we can open more." Tai Er has also been looking at locations in San Francisco and the East Bay but has yet to find the right spot in either."

Sauerkraut fish, or suan cai yu, combines sliced snakehead fish and pickled mustard greens in a pork bone broth and is a popular Sichuan specialty. Tai Er lists the dish as its bestseller and reports that nearly every table orders it. The brand serves about 20 million bowls annually and operates more than 600 locations across Asia, Canada, and Oceania. The San Mateo restaurant is Tai Er's first full-service U.S. venue, with a larger Santa Clara outpost planned by year-end. Site selection prioritized corner or mall placement, strong foot traffic, and diverse local communities. The company is testing a more elevated dining model before broader U.S. expansion.

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