Chinese Hot Pot Chain HiDiLao Expanding to San Diego | Eater San Diego

"I'm seeing the highest-profile hot pot entrant yet arrive in San Diego: HaiDiLao, China’s biggest hot pot chain, slated for Westfield UTC next to the Zara store and reportedly up and running by Summer 2021. Founded in 1994 in Sichuan, where hot pot is a regional mainstay, it now has more than 900 stores worldwide; its first U.S. branch opened at Westfield Santa Anita in 2013 and was called “the Ferrari of Chinese hot pot restaurants” by then-critic Jonathan Gold. The upscale eatery offers various broth bases and a large range of meats, seafood, and vegetables to cook at the table — an extensive but fairly standard menu for the genre — and sets itself apart with over-the-top, personalized experiences such as snacks and games for waiting guests, manicure services for diners, hand-pulled noodle–making demos and a tableside dance show, and even a giant stuffed-animal companion for solo diners." - Candice Woo