Fish With You: The Sauerkraut Fish Specialist. Our Mission: Make This Fish Fly.

Fish with You: The Story Behind China’s #1 Sauerkraut Fish Franchise

Since 2010, sauerkraut fish has become a popular dish across China, leading to many new restaurant brands. However, most were regional players, and no single brand dominated the national market.

That changed in 2017 when Fish with You launched with a simple but powerful concept: "Sauerkraut Fish Fast Food." The brand broke through barriers, opening over 1,000 stores in its first year and quickly becoming the #1 sauerkraut fish franchise in the country.

Wei Tongrong, the founder of Fish with You, saw an opportunity to transform a traditional sit-down meal into a fast, convenient, and scalable business. While many said the brand was "riding a trend," Wei knew their success was built on a solid foundation and a clear strategy.

A Founder's Vision: From Hot Pot to Fast-Casual Fish

Wei Tongrong is an experienced restaurant entrepreneur with over 15 years in the industry. Before starting Fish with You, she built a successful hot pot franchise called "Wei Laoxiang Hot Pot," which grew to over 300 locations.

By 2016, she noticed a shift in the market towards smaller, faster, and more stylish dining concepts. She wanted to create a new fast-casual brand. Her first thought was to adapt her chicken-based hot pot into a fast-food model, similar to the massively popular Braised Chicken Rice franchises.

However, she realized the chicken market was already too crowded. Instead, she focused on another popular protein in China: fish.

"Sauerkraut fish was a nationally loved dish, but it was almost always served as a large, expensive meal in traditional restaurants," Wei explained. "No one had successfully adapted it for the fast-food market. The demand was already there; a fast-casual model just needed to meet it."

The timing was perfect. Market reports confirmed that sauerkraut fish was one of China's most popular dishes. Wei created a new category by standardizing and serving the recipe with rice. In 2017, Fish with You was launched and became an instant success.

Three Pillars of Rapid Growth

As a pioneer of the “sauerkraut fish fast food" model, Fish with You focused on three key areas to make the concept work for a modern audience:

1. Pillar 1: High-Quality, Standardized Ingredients

Wei knew that a great product starts with great ingredients. Instead of using the types of fish commonly found in traditional restaurants, Fish with You chose boneless, mild-flavored basa fish imported from top suppliers in Vietnam.

"Basa fish is perfect for fast food," Wei notes. "It's boneless, consistently high-quality, and allows for quick preparation."

By partnering with leading basa fish producers, as well as top suppliers for its sauerkraut and peppercorns, the company built a stable and reliable supply chain capable of supporting thousands of stores. "To be a leading brand, you have to set the industry standard," says Wei.

2. Pillar 2: A Modern and Upgraded Store Experience

To break the "cheap" image often associated with fast food, Fish with You designed its stores to be bright, clean, and stylish. The restaurants feature an open kitchen, modern décor, and professional staff uniforms.

The brand has already gone through three major upgrades in less than three years, improving everything from its logo and store layout to the customer ordering process. The color scheme was updated from yellow to a vibrant "Hermès orange" to create a more energetic and fashionable feel. They also moved from à la carte ordering to simple combos, speeding up service and making it easier for customers to choose.

3. Pillar 3: A Simplified and Streamlined Menu

Wei believes in the "less is more" philosophy. The menu is simple to ensure quality, consistency, and operational efficiency. It follows a "6+6+5" model:

• 6 Main Fish Dishes: A few core sauerkraut fish options plus other popular flavors.
• 6 Side Dishes
• 5 Drink Options
• Free rice and steamed buns

This simple menu makes operations easier for franchisees and guarantees a consistent taste for customers across all locations. The brand introduces new seasonal dishes every quarter from a pre-tested product library to keep things fresh.

Building a Sustainable Future: A Focus on Quality Over Quantity

After two years of explosive growth, opening stores in over 350 cities, Wei and her team decided to make 2019 a year of consolidation and operational focus. "The survival of our franchisees is everything," she states. "Their success is our success."

The brand implemented a new strategy focused on sustainable growth:

• Higher Standards for Franchisees: The company raised the entry bar for new franchisees instead of just adding numbers. They looked for partners with strong business sense and a commitment to quality, setting a clear goal to keep the store closure rate below 10%.
• Focus on High-Traffic Locations: The brand shifted its focus to opening stores in shopping malls and prime commercial streets, targeting areas with higher customer traffic and spending power. The new goal is a mix of 70% mall locations and 30% street-front stores.
• Strengthening Operations and Training: Fish with You launched a program to improve operational standards across all stores. This included opening more regional support centers and warehouses to provide better and faster support to franchisees. They also created "Dong Dao Academy," a corporate university to train everyone from franchise owners and store managers to front-line staff.

With a clear five-year plan to reach 5,000 stores and become one of China's top 10 fast-food brands, Fish with You has built a strong foundation. This "flying fish" is positioned to soar even higher by investing in its operations, franchisees, and brand.