{"id":454,"date":"2026-03-24T13:56:41","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T13:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/03\/24\/restaurant-owner-fighting-for-stinky-menu-item-after-neighbors-complaints-trigger-ban-and-over-1000-in-fines\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T13:56:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T13:56:41","slug":"restaurant-owner-fighting-for-stinky-menu-item-after-neighbors-complaints-trigger-ban-and-over-1000-in-fines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/03\/24\/restaurant-owner-fighting-for-stinky-menu-item-after-neighbors-complaints-trigger-ban-and-over-1000-in-fines\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant Owner Fighting for \u2018Stinky\u2019 Menu Item After Neighbor\u2019s Complaints Trigger Ban and Over $1,000 in Fines"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>David Liao is petitioning for stinky tofu to be allowed on the menu at his Taiwanese restaurant in Los Angeles<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/1OalgVa0zmPjOjHIYYE4sz_0V04=\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)\/stinky-tofu-032426-1-60900547c2a54296a1effd12e4298d77.jpg\" alt=\"Stinky tofu (stock image)Credit: Getty\" title=\"Stinky tofu sits in a metal bowl\" \/><figcaption><i>Stinky tofu (stock image)<br \/>Credit: Getty<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>David Liao, owner of Golden Leaf restaurant in San Gabriel, has been forced to stop selling the Taiwanese dish stinky tofu<\/li>\n<li>Liao told the <em>Los Angeles Times <\/em>he&#8217;s received multiples notices and fines since a neighbor began complaining about the smell of the food<\/li>\n<li>\u201cKeeping this unofficial national dish alive is crucial,\u201d Liao told the outlet. \u201cFor our customers, this isn\u2019t just another menu item, it\u2019s a connection to their roots\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A restaurant owner in Los Angeles is petitioning for the return of their signature dish after complaints from locals about its odor led to a ban.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/food\/story\/2026-03-23\/san-gabriel-stinky-tofu-neighbor-complaints\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\"><em>Los Angeles Times<\/em><\/a> published on Monday, March 23, David Liao explained that his Golden Leaf restaurant in San Gabriel had been selling stinky tofu for three years before receiving the first of several complaints in the fall of 2017.<\/p>\n<p>The popular Taiwanese street food \u2014\u00a0 also known as chou doufu in Chinese \u2014 is known for its eye-watering stench that comes from fermenting tofu for weeks or months in brine with vegetables.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said she could smell the stinky tofu, but we, and other customers, couldn\u2019t smell it,\u201d Liao told the <em>L.A. Times<\/em> of the initial complaint from a neighbor, who lives in a building north of his Taiwanese restaurant, rather than directly behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/1JlH9YTMWYlkP1kJplsZq6HWZLE=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/golden-leaf-restaurant-032426-1-7f2d1fd5e01c42e1bca2ccc2596e94c2.jpg\" alt=\"Golden Leaf restaurant in San GabrielCredit: Google Maps\" title=\"Golden Leaf Restaurant\" \/><figcaption><i>Golden Leaf restaurant in San Gabriel<br \/>Credit: Google Maps<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Liao\u2019s parents opened Golden Leaf in 2014 with stinky tofu accounting for up to 20% of their total revenue, according to the outlet. The family asked other businesses in the area if they could detect the smell of the dish following the neighbor\u2019s complaint.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf our commercial neighbors complained to us that it\u2019s affecting their business, then we would understand,\u201d Liao told the <em>L.A. Times<\/em>. \u201cBut no one ever has.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Visits from the health department and fire department led to an official verbally telling Liao to mitigate the smell or stop selling stinky tofu, the owner claims.<\/p>\n<p>Golden Leaf then received a notice that they were violating one of the city\u2019s municipal codes in September 2017.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA person shall not discharge from any source whatsoever quantities of air contaminants or other material that cause injury, detriment, nuisance, or annoyance to any considerable number of persons or to the public, or that endanger the comfort, repose, health, or safety of any of those persons or the public, or that cause, or have a natural tendency to cause, inure or damage to business or property,\u201d the code reads, per the <em>L.A. Times.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The notice came with a warning that the restaurant could be fined up to $1,000. They removed stinky tofu from the menu until 2025, with Liao launching a newsletter to alert customers that the dish was available once again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\"><strong> PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a><strong> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Liao recalled to the <em>L.A. Times<\/em> that the disgruntled neighbor once again began calling the restaurant to complain about the smell. The calls became so frequent that they prevented some customers from being able to place orders, he claims.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeeping this unofficial national dish alive is crucial,\u201d Liao told the outlet of stinky tofu. \u201cFor our customers, this isn\u2019t just another menu item, it\u2019s a connection to their roots.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles has the largest Taiwanese community in the United States.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/NJWH65UJ6pBwgEKB63Rk2rDFv10=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/stinky-tofu-032426-2-fde25b7356bc43cd8256c87ede7df80c.jpg\" alt=\"Stinky tofu (stock image)Credit: Alamy\" title=\"Stinky Tofu cooking \" \/><figcaption><i>Stinky tofu (stock image)<br \/>Credit: Alamy<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Three months after stinky tofu returned, Golden Leaf restaurant received another warning that they had violated an \u201codors\u201d code regarding \u201cobnoxious or adverse odor that can be detected beyond the boundary of the lot occupied by that use.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Liao told the <em>L.A. Times<\/em> that he paid more than $1,000 in fines and received multiple violation notices before eventually deciding to stop selling the menu item at the restaurant in November 2025.<\/p>\n<p>However, he has launched a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/support-cooking-stinky-tofu-in-san-gabriel-california\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">Change.org petition<\/a> to gather supporters across California who will \u201cadvocate for the right to cook and sell stinky tofu in San Gabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several commenters on the page have argued that the complaints about the food are the result of cultural differences.<\/p>\n<p>However, San Gabriel City Councilmember John Wu disagrees and has advised Liao to get a better filtration system at the restaurant if he wants to continue selling stinky tofu.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is nothing to do with any cultural things, but it\u2019s more like a food smell control issue,\u201d Wu told the <em>L.A. Times.<\/em> \u201cWe have many restaurants selling stinky tofu, but this is so far the only restaurant where we have those complaints from residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome people like it. Some may feel differently,\u201d Wu added. \u201cI respect both, and I asked David if he wants to talk to us. But we need to take action if there are any complaints. The city cannot do nothing. This is our job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Liao told the <em>L.A. Times <\/em>that the Golden Leaf is unable to relocate and they don\u2019t have the money to invest in a ventless fryer that could cost around $50,000 or a new filter for up to $100,000.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith all these options, I was looking for a guarantee,\u201d Liao told the outlet. \u201cWe were willing to work with the city, but they couldn\u2019t put anything in writing, and we don\u2019t have the money to just invest and see if it works.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A representative for Golden Leaf restaurant, San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and the Community Development Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE\u2019s request for comment on Tuesday, March 24.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David Liao is petitioning for stinky tofu to be allowed on the menu at his Taiwanese restaurant in Los Angeles Stinky tofu (stock image)Credit: Getty NEED TO KNOW David Liao, owner of Golden Leaf restaurant in San Gabriel, has been forced to stop selling the Taiwanese dish stinky tofu Liao told the Los Angeles Times [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everything-else"],"wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":"","cvmm-medium":"","cvmm-medium-plus":"","cvmm-portrait":"","cvmm-medium-square":"","cvmm-large":"","cvmm-small":"","full":""},"categories_names":{"1":{"name":"Everything Else","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/category\/everything-else\/"}},"tags_names":[],"comments_number":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}