First I’ve heard of it.
funny - i just put some on mac & cheese last week.
The last line of the article referring to all the companies who want to work with the company (or outright buy it) is what struck me, ”People who come here are never interested in the product, only in the profits.”
The irony being that the profits are there because he cares about the product, not the profits. I also think it’s probably good business to ignore those offers. The t-shirts, iPhone cases, cookbooks, etc. aren’t going to last forever. It’s a fad. It won’t stay “hip” for very long (and arguably no longer is among those who like to stay ahead of the “hip curve.”). I could easily imagine the company, if run by someone else, becoming the victim of a boom-bust cycle where an overexposure creates a huge backlash. The best long-term scenario is for it to become a common, if somewhat boring, staple condiment like French’s yellow mustard or Heinz ketchup - a product in everyone’s kitchen and on countless restaurant tables across the country. I think Tran’s philosophy of ignoring the hype and maintaining the quality will more likely lead to that outcome than any tactic thought up by anyone knocking at his door holding big bags of money.
agreed! i’m not so sure it’s just a fad, though – i think it was a “right place, right time” situation that benefitted from the overall changing tastes in america as a result of our population changes. overall, we’re becoming interested in spicier foods and foods with more interesting flavor profiles in general. his sriracha sauce was already established locally in california and well-regarded enough to be the de facto choice as this change blossomed, and now it’s just been spreading from there.
I remember going to specialty markets to seek this stuff out in the early 00’s, though now I make my own and could get it from the local HEB. Great stuff, and easily one of my favorite condiments.
I like the chili-garlic sauce that sits next to it on the shelf. Does anybody know if it’s just a different brand, or a different flavor?
Same company, different product/taste
Aha thank you, yum yum, time to try the rooster flavor!
Oddly enough, my kitchen has a bottle of Sriracha, but no Heinz ketchup. And I live in Pittsburgh.
By “fad” I mean, I doubt we’ll continue to see the t-shirts, recipe books, etc. continue as a long-term trend.
oh yes, i agree.
Am I the only person who refers to Sirachi as “Cock Sauce”?
Yeah, I’ve used it on mac & cheese as long as I’ve been using it but then I put it on damn near everything but the wife and the cats.
Nope. It’ll always be “Hot Cock Sauce” to me. But I’ve got a puerile sense of humour. 
We call it “Rooster.” It gets used quite a bit.
He… is a man of action.
He… is a man of honor.
He… is a man of duty.
Here comes… David Tran!
This summer…
Everyone’s favorite condement hero returns!
And his name is… David Tran!
No you are not.
Great article. One reason for it’s success, besides being delicious, is that it is also really cheap. I’m sure Tran could double the price and still sell just as many units, but it sounds like he’s a man on a mission. And more power to him.
I wish the world had more David Trans in it.
@cbm I also say rooster, or did until someone pointed out that the actual name was written on the bottle in English. (the bottle text is so crowded and busy, I’d tuned it out when I saw domination by asian characters I couldn’t read. dumb of me.) Still, “Rooster” is a lot easier to say for us anglophones. We’re sorely tempted to say “sir-a-chuh,” and often do.
@dr_bombay @jimp hot sauce on mac n cheese is definitely the way to go, but I prefer a vinegar-dominant sauce like tobasco for it.
my favorite use is for popcorn. add sriracha into your melted butter, enough to turn it pumpkin orange is a good rough amount until you get your personal taste dialed in. pour it over your popcorn, add salt, and toss it like a salad to dress. sure to knock 'em dead at your next TV party.
