Shabu Shack, an Elk Grove-based hot pot franchise, is set to open in the Davis Commons
By HANNAH SCHRADER — city@theaggie.org
Shabu Shack is a family-owned business that originally started in San Jose when the Quang family purchased the first hot pot location — where Richard Quang’s wife worked. The business is now set to join the Davis Commons by March 10.
Quang, the co-owner of Shabu Shack, spoke about how the restaurant came to be.
“My [now] wife was working at a Japanese hot pot restaurant,” Quang said. “And the opportunity came about where she was able to purchase the location that she was working at from the previous owners. So […] we rebranded it to what is now called Shabu Shack today.”
The business has grown to include locations in Elk Grove, San Francisco, Sacramento and now Davis. Quang then spoke about their decision to bring a Shabu Shack location to Davis.
“[The Davis location is] owned and operated by two gentlemen that are native to Sacramento,” Quang said. “When they were looking at the market, trying to see where they could expand and bring Japanese hot pot to, they realized that Davis didn’t actually have a Japanese hot pot […] It just happened to be that the Davis Commons had a spot open for them.”
The owners of the Davis Shabu Shack location commented on their favorite menu items.
“Our favorite items on the menu have to be the beef belly toro or American wagyu dishes, because they are sourced fresh and cut to order,” the owners said. “[Shabu Shack is] also the only hot pot with a spicy Sichuan soup base, which makes it super unique for [spice] lovers.”
Nickolar Saldivar, Shabu Shack’s real estate broker, talked about the process of establishing the Davis location.
“This was a full build-out, so we’re not talking a second-generation restaurant,” Saldivar said. “So it took a little time because [the owners] had to go through planning and submit their permits.”
Saldivar spoke about his excitement for Shabu Shack coming to Davis.
“From portion to cost and everything else, you know, I’m just really happy for Davis to be able to have that [hot pot] experience,” Saldivar said. “And Shabu Shack does a really great job at it.”
When asked about Quang’s long-term goals for Shabu Shack, he discussed possibly expanding further.
“[For] the company-wide [goals] for Shabu Shack as a whole, we’d love to continue to expand and bring the concept into new communities,” Quang said. “Assuming, you know, we continue to be successful.”
Written by: Hannah Schrader — city@theaggie.org
