Lion dances and silver chopsticks: Fat's Asian Bistro Roseville celebrates 25 years of success

A longtime fixture in Roseville that offers a unique Asian fusion menu is celebrating 25 years serving the community. Fat's Asia Bistro Roseville first opened its doors on the corner of Eureka and Rocky Ridge in October 2000, and it continues to be a hot spot that fills a specific culinary niche. "It's a staple of the Roseville community," said General Manager Adam McIntyre. On Saturday, Oct. 4, members of the iconic Fat family, who established the Roseville restaurant and two others in the region, held a festive 25th-anniversary celebration with a vibrant lion dance performance right outside the restaurant. The Fat Family Restaurant Group is a third-generation, family-owned business, best known for Frank Fat's, its flagship restaurant that has served downtown for more than 86 years. The family also has an established restaurant in Folsom, on Iron Point Road, which has been open for 20 years. McIntyre, who has worked at the Roseville Fat's for nearly 20 years, said he believes one reason the restaurants have survived where others have failed is their focus on great customer service. "I believe being a server here for 15 years myself, service goes a long way for people," said McIntyre. He explained the pandemic and resulting shutdown didn't do any favors for customer service in general, and the rise of technology has further distanced people from cultivating communication skills and prioritizing customer service. Yet McIntyre understands, at the end of the day, the quality of your food must be on point or it doesn't matter how friendly your employees are; and word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool. "It doesn't matter if it's just your table, when you come in and spend $100 and you don't feel that it came out well, that's your opinion and that's like a domino effect," explained McIntyre. "You go tell the next person and they tell the next person and that goes a long way." While McIntyre said a huge part of their long-term resilience is food quality and consistency, they are always experimenting and adding new options to the menu while sticking to the staple items they know are popular in this community. "We're trying to add in some authentic dishes. For instance, we have a dish called Thai Seafood from Thailand. Singapore noodles. We are in the middle of Roseville, though, so we do American/Asian fusion," explained McIntyre. "We have specials, we do it seasonally and we try to add those on as we go along." While the lion dancing is over, the celebration continues through Oct. 31. The Roseville and Folsom Fat's are having a silver chopsticks giveaway; each day, a few pairs of silver chopsticks are rolled in a silverware napkin and distributed on tables randomly. Lucky customers who find a pair of silver chopsticks are given a $25 gift card. McIntyre jokingly likens the hidden silver chopsticks to finding the golden ticket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory … except instead of chocolate, customers can enjoy chow mein.