Mala Tang is popular in Japan: 3 lessons for F&B owners
Mala Tang, a delicacy coming from Sichuan China, is now very popular in Japan, with lots of big companies creating lineups of products based on Mala Tang and Chinese flavor.
The rise of Mala Tang in the Japanese market can be traced back to a series of viral moments that sparked a nationwide obsession. While the spicy, numbing hot pot has been a beloved dish in China for years, its journey to mainstream popularity in Japan was uniquely influenced by a crossover with Korean pop culture. The “Mala Tang Tanghulu” meme, which originated in Korea and fused the fiery hot pot with the sweet Chinese fruit skewer, captured the attention of young consumers and spread rapidly across social media platforms like TikTok.
Despite this initial online buzz, the true turning point came when Mala Tang was featured on a special episode of a popular Japanese TV program “Matsuko no shiranai sekai” (“The World Matsuko Doesn’t Know”). This made Mala Tang surge in popularity created a fertile ground for food businesses to innovate and capitalize on the trend, from established chains like Qibao Malatang to franchises such as Yang Guo Fu Mala Tang, which was brought from China to Japan by Daitengen Company.
The Mala Tang Cup Noodle Boom
The rise in Mala Tang’s popularity wasn’t limited to restaurants and specialized shops. The trend also created a surge in sales for instant noodle products, particularly Mala Tang cup noodles by Ishokudogen.com, a company that specializes on healthy food and beauty products. When they succeeded in tweaking the recipe, the Korean meme “Mala Tang Tanghulu” made buzz around the dish by releasing their own Mala Tang-flavored instant noodles.
The subsequent promotion on platforms like TikTok and by public figures further amplified the trend, driving a massive surge in sales. Notably, entrepreneur and influencer Ranmaru Kishitani posted on August 21 that the cup noodles were “so delicious,” stating that the “richness and spiciness of the soup is unexpected from a cup noodle.” This endorsement by a prominent public figure highlighted the product’s authentic flavor and further fueled its popularity. These convenient and affordable products made the numbing and spicy flavor accessible to a wider audience, solidifying the trend and proving the powerful influence of social media and influencer marketing on consumer behavior.
Collaborations and Crossover Products
The Mala Tang boom has also extended to major food companies, who have released their own related products to capitalize on the trend. Ajinomoto’s product for Mapo Tofu flavor sold over a million servings within six weeks of its August 2023 launch, becoming the top-selling new “Cook Do” product in five years. Its follow-up products, Hui Guo Rou (Double Cooked Pork) and Mapo Eggplant flavor, also exceeded a million servings in less than a month.
Other companies have joined the trend as well. Kewpie launched a “Spicy Mala Flavor” mayonnaise, while Nissin Foods released a “Cup Noodle: 14 Spice Mala Tang,” both aiming to bring the authentic “numbing spiciness” to their classic product lines. These examples show how well-known brands are successfully integrating the Mala Tang flavor profile into familiar formats.
Challenges for Mala Tang’s Establishment in Japan
Despite its rapid growth, the establishment of Mala Tang as a stable fixture in the Japanese food scene faces several operational and quality challenges. A notable incident occurred in November 2024 when a customer at a Yang Guo Fu Mala Tang store posted on TikTok (since deleted) about finding a bug in their food, which led to a loss of customer trust. The company responded by stating the issue likely stemmed from a non-fried dry noodle supplied by a wholesale company and is working with the supplier to investigate the cause.
Beyond quality control, many Mala Tang specialty shops face customer service issues. Some store employees may not be fluent in Japanese, making it difficult to explain ingredients or recommended ways to eat the dish. Additionally, some popular shops have received negative online reviews citing long wait times, rude staff, inconsistent flavors, unclear pricing, and incorrect orders. These operational inconsistencies, while being addressed by some stores through queueing systems, pose a significant challenge to customer satisfaction and the long-term viability of these businesses.
Lessons for Japanese Food Businesses
The rise and challenges of the Mala Tang trend in Japan offer important lessons for existing food businesses. The success of the initial boom was driven by a deep understanding of consumer behavior, particularly the power of viral content and influencer marketing on social media. By paying close attention to these digital trends, Japanese businesses can identify and quickly adapt to emerging food fads. However, with business running, business owners should pay attention to these points to be able to maintain customers.
- Friendly customer service
In a market where a personalized and welcoming experience is highly valued, a lack of clear communication can lead to customer frustration. For Japanese businesses, this means training staff to be able to clearly explain menu items, a store’s ordering process, and recommend dishes, especially if the products are new or unfamiliar to the Japanese customers. This includes training staff to explain new ingredients, such as lap chiong (Chinese sausage), that may be unfamiliar to the Japanese palate. This helps to build customer confidence and ensures a smooth, enjoyable dining experience, which is crucial for retaining new customers who were attracted by the initial boom.
- Ensure consistent quality
The highly-publicized Tiktok video of a foreign object found in food highlights how quickly a business’s reputation can be damaged in the age of social media. For Japanese businesses looking to replicate this success with new trends, ensuring consistent quality is paramount. This means establishing and enforcing strict food safety standards, maintaining a stable supply chain, and ensuring that the taste remains consistent across all locations. A single negative experience, whether due to an operational issue or inconsistent flavor, can deter a new customer for good and be a cause of a long-term business problem.
- Adapt to Local Preferences
The long-term success of the Mala Tang boom hinges on more than just the initial viral marketing. It also depends on the ability to adapt to local preferences. While many Japanese consumers enjoy authentic, “numbing spicy” flavors, a significant portion may prefer a milder version. The success of major companies like Ajinomoto and Nissin in creating Mala-flavored products tailored to the local palate, such as sauces and cup noodles, highlights the importance of this flexibility.
The journey of Mala Tang in Japan, from a viral sensation to a staple in the Japanese food industry, serves as a powerful case study for businesses seeking to introduce new flavors. It demonstrates that while social media and influencer trends can ignite a craze, it is a commitment to quality, customer experience, and strategic adaptation that ultimately determines long-term success in a competitive market.
If you want to adapt your food to the Japanese market, we at Vintage Management are ready to help you. Contact us for a private discussion here: https://seeandconnectsg.com/contact/
For more articles like this, click here: https://seeandconnectsg.com/news/
