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Why doesn't Chef Fei sell chili fried pork in the United States?

By Can Guanju, Author: Brother Ju

I saw the advertisement for Chef Fei's first store in the United States while scrolling on my phone.

The large green sign at the entrance reads: BROCCOLI BEEF.

Stir-fried beef with broccoli.

I was stunned for three seconds.

Then look up at the brand name: CHEF FEI.

Image | Source: Internet

What about stir-fried pork with chili?

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All gone.

If Fei Daych (Fei's Kitchen) stops selling its signature stir-fried pork with chili, it would be like Lanzhou beef noodle shops in Lanzhou switching to selling Italian pasta, or Shaxian snacks in Shaxian replacing their famous noodles with pizza, or Huangmen chicken rice no longer offering its namesake dish but instead serving burgers.

Do you think I am joking? I am not.

In 2023, Fei Daych sold over 5 million servings of stir-fried pork with chili, generating more than RMB 1 billion in revenue. In major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, customers often have to wait two hours in line to enjoy the dish. Priced at RMB 68 per serving, it features a pot of green chili peppers paired with pork belly, stir-fried by skilled chefs, with complimentary rice refills. It’s a must-order for every table, and this dish is the lifeblood of Fei Daych.

But upon entering the U.S., the restaurant has replaced its signature dish with broccoli and beef stir-fry.

Some say this is a sign of capitulation, fearing that Americans wouldn’t accept their iconic stir-fried pork with chili.

It sounds reasonable, but upon deeper reflection, something seems off.

Fei Daych operates on a direct management model without franchising, focusing solely on dine-in services rather than takeout, with all dishes prepared by master chefs on-site. For such companies, brand image is paramount — the narrative that 'this dish is what made us who we are today.' If they were simply afraid that Americans wouldn’t buy into their signature dish, why bother opening in the U.S.? Wouldn’t it be easier to stay in China and keep earning profits effortlessly?

So, there must be more to this story.

Let’s calculate the first set of figures.

The core ingredients of stir-fried pork with chili: screw peppers and pork belly.

Image | Source: Internet

Screw peppers are a specialty of Hunan, available domestically at 5 yuan per jin. But transporting them to the United States?

FDA quarantine requirements for imported vegetables include pesticide residues, heavy metal testing, microbial testing, GMO testing, and origin traceability certification, with the entire process taking at least three months.

Three months!

By the time your screw peppers clear all hurdles, they’ll be archaeological relics. Next time, will you bring a Luoyang shovel to stock up or use carbon-14 dating to verify their age?

This isn’t selling vegetables; it’s conducting scientific research.

Alright, let’s assume you find a way to keep them fresh, and the FDA clears them. With shipping costs, tariffs, and quarantine fees, the cost of one jin of screw peppers rises from 5 yuan to 50 yuan, and the cost of a plate of stir-fried pork with chili jumps from 15 yuan to 150 yuan. How much would you sell it for? At least 300 yuan, right?

At 300 yuan per plate of stir-fried pork with chili, while Panda Express charges only $12 for a serving of Kung Pao chicken, Americans might think you’re here to rob them.

Now let's calculate the second account.

Even if the problem with screw peppers is resolved, what about pork belly?

Image | Source: Internet

Americans consume only one-third as much pork as beef. Many Americans do not eat pork at all—some consider it unhealthy, some worry about parasites, and others have religious objections.

Opening a Chinese restaurant in the U.S. that specializes in pork is akin to selling beef burgers at McDonald's in India or running a pork shop in a Muslim neighborhood.

This is not doing business; this is inviting criticism.

More importantly, you need to educate the market by spending money on advertisements to inform Americans that pork is actually delicious and safe. Then, after seeing your ads, skeptical Americans might walk into your store, try an order of stir-fried pork with chili, and conclude: 'It’s alright.'

It’s alright.

How much did those three words cost you?

The combined costs of advertising, rent, labor, and ingredients may amount to several million dollars, only to earn the lukewarm response from Americans, "It's okay."

The next time he craves Chinese food, will he remember you? No, he will still go to Panda Express.

This is not running a business; it’s engaging in charity.

There is also a third issue to consider.

Wait, something’s not right. Even if all the previous issues are resolved, there remains a fatal problem: who will cook this dish?

Fei Daychufang’s stir-fried pork with chili requires high heat and a quick 30-second stir-fry, ensuring tender meat, crispy peppers, and rich sauce.

In Hunan, apprentices of Fei Lianghui must train for three years before mastering the craft. Where in the U.S. can you find an experienced Hunan chef with three years of practice?

You can’t find one.

Ninety percent of Chinese chefs in the U.S. are Cantonese. Asking a Cantonese chef to stir-fry pork with chili is like asking Zhao Benshan to perform Peking Opera, Jay Chou to sing traditional drum ballads, or LeBron James to play table tennis—it’s theoretically possible but practically disastrous.

But what if you switch to beef with broccoli!

Broccoli is abundant across the U.S. at $2 per pound, and beef is widely available at $30 per pound. The FDA does not require quarantine inspections since all ingredients are locally sourced. Moreover, Americans consume broccoli and beef almost daily, and a chef can be trained in just three days.

Costs are reduced by 90%, the supply chain is simplified by 90%, and market acceptance increases by 900%.

Once you do the math, it becomes clear.

It’s not that Chef Fei has backed down; rather, Chef Fei has done the math and understands.

So, what exactly is Chef Fei selling?

At this point, you may realize that Chef Fei has never been about selling stir-fried pork with chili. What Chef Fei sells is 'wok-tossed dishes prepared by master chefs on the spot.'

Why are you willing to wait two hours for Chef Fei's restaurant in China? It’s not because the stir-fried pork with chili is exceptionally delicious—your neighborhood Hunan restaurant can make something similar for just 28 yuan. You’re willing to queue because Chef Fei offers you an experience.

In the open kitchen, over a dozen chefs dressed in white uniforms are busy at work. Each chef focuses solely on one dish. You watch them stir-fry with high heat, hear the clanging of woks and spatulas, and smell the aroma of sizzling oil—all making you feel that 'this meal is worth 68 yuan.'

If it were just for the dish of stir-fried pork with chili, you would have gone to the Hunan restaurant downstairs offering it for 28 yuan. But you don't go there because what you seek is not just a plate of stir-fried pork with chili, but rather the experience of "stir-fried by a master chef on the spot."

Therefore, the core competitiveness of Fei Dachef is not the dish of stir-fried pork with chili, but the IP of "stir-fried by a master chef on the spot." Once in the United States, as long as the concept of "stir-fried by a master chef" remains intact, it doesn’t matter what dishes are served—whether it’s broccoli stir-fried with beef, sweet and sour chicken, or Kung Pao chicken.

McDonald's does not sell beef burgers in India but instead offers chicken burgers because McDonald's core strength lies in standardized fast food, not beef. Similarly, Starbucks sells mooncakes, zongzi, and green rice dumplings in China because Starbucks’ core focus is on the 'third space,' not coffee. Likewise, Fei Dachef can serve broccoli stir-fried with beef in the U.S., because their essence lies in the concept of “prepared on the spot by a master chef,” not in stir-fried pork with chili.

Products may change, but the master chef cannot.

Returning to the original question.

If Fei Dachef stops selling stir-fried pork with chili in the U.S., is this an act of backing down?

Image | Source: Internet

No.

This is because they have done the math: In the U.S., the cost of selling stir-fried pork with chili is ten times higher than in China, while market acceptance is only one-tenth, and the supply chain complexity is 100 times greater. No matter how you calculate it, selling this dish in the U.S. would result in losses.

However, by switching to broccoli stir-fried with beef, costs are reduced to domestic levels, market acceptance increases tenfold, and supply chain complexity is eliminated—by any calculation, this is a profitable move.

More importantly, Fei Dachef has not abandoned its core value: the four characters '大厨现炒' remain on the signboard, only now they are in English: STIR FRIED BY MASTER CHEFS.

The dish of chili-braised pork may be gone, but the master chefs are still here.

Thus, Fei Dachef's decision to change its menu in the U.S. appears to be an adjustment in product strategy, but is in fact a reaffirmation of the brand's core capabilities.

With this decision, they are telling everyone: we are not a restaurant that sells chili-braised pork; we are a restaurant that emphasizes 'stir-fried by master chefs,' and as long as the master chefs are here, we can sell anything.

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