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Bay Area sees Asian grocery market boom as big-box stores close
The Bay Area is in the midst of an Asian grocery market boom as big-box stores close.
Tony Yoo has opened highly acclaimed restaurants in Korea, earning a Michelin star along the way.
"I'm making Korean barbecue dishes. These are two different kinds," Yoo said.
He's now the executive chef at Pogu, a restaurant inside the mega food complex called Jagalchi, at the Serramonte Center in Daly City.
The massive grocery, bakery, bar, food court, and restaurant fills what was once an empty 75,000 square foot space, long ago occupied by JCPenney.
"Three months in now, we're in a more stabilized, steady phase. We're seeing consistent month-over-month growth," said Jagalchi marketing manager Ashley Jung.
Camilla Rahman had been wanting to try it since it opened earlier this year.
"This is just a really nice use of this space. I think that as retail has changed and the Bay Area's population has changed as well, this is a good use," Rahman said.
At least seven large Asian chain groceries, including Tokyo Central in Emeryville and Mega Mart in the South and East Bay, are slated to open this year.
San Francisco State Asian American Studies professor Russell Jeung said the market boom in Asian grocery stores is a reflection of shifting consumer demands and a demographic uptick in the region.
Census numbers show Asians in the Bay increased from one in four in 2010 to one in three by 2020.
"The increase in immigration from China and especially India and those coming especially for the high-tech industry, makes up a large segment of that population growth," Jeung said.
Jeung said that growth, employment in biotech, AI, and other high-earning sectors of the economy are partly fueling the demand and replacing what were once smaller mom-and-pop Asian groceries.
"That Asian American community has high enough incomes where they want more high-end Asian groceries. So they're not mom and pop grocery stores coming in, but they're actually corporate," Jeung said.
It's a new environment for Yoo, working in a state-of-the-art kitchen, in the middle of a mall, to introduce his modern take on Korean cuisine.
"Welcome to authentic Korean flavors, welcome to Pogu," Yoo said.
It's his new home in a vastly changing retail space in the Bay.
Jagalchi in Daly City is the first location in the U.S. Company officials say there are plans to expand to other cities.
The new T&T grocery will open in San Francisco at City Center on Geary and Masonic. Its San Jose store is scheduled to open at Westgate Center this fall.
