EAST NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — One spicy condiment is a very hot commodity right now.
Huy Fong, the maker of the most popular sriracha variety, is facing major production issues. The company says weather has affected the quality and availability of the red jalapeno peppers it uses, for the second year in a row.
Sriracha is a crowd favorite at East Side Pho at The Wash in East Nashville.
Chefs Chad Newton and Gracie Nguyen run the restaurant, as well as East Side Banh Mi and You Are Here Hospitality.
Until the iconic brand gets production back on track, they appreciate that their customers are cutting them some slack.
"What makes our community great is no one is kind of nit-picky over that stuff," Newton said."They probably know about it, heard about it or understand we are doing our best."
At their establishments, they serve sriracha with phở. It's also used in their stir fry dishes.
They have some of the Huy Fong hot sauce on hand, but not nearly as much as they'd like.
"When you go kind of look at our sriracha supply right now, it used to be tons of bottles green caps. Now it's like a little of everything. You'll see packets, you'll see a Whole Foods brand because basically we're getting it where we can," Newton said.
NewsChannel 5 went to five different grocery stores in Nashville, including two international food markets, and we couldn't find a single bottle of the iconic sauce.
The restaurant owners are spending more money to make sure they have sriracha. Right now, they just can't count on their suppliers to deliver what they need. And at East Side Banh Mi, they are also making their own sriracha in-house.
"It is what it is. We have to have it. [It's] just another tough thing for small restaurant owners to have to navigate," Newton said.
As a result of the shortage, on eBay and Facebook Marketplace, some people are selling single bottles of Huy Fong's sriracha for as much as $100.
