Chinese hot pot is a cooking method that began in Mongolia more than a millennium ago, spread in popularity over the centuries, and eventually developed into a variety of regional styles. Today, people flock to hot pot restaurants in China to eat and socialize over a communal cauldron of food.

Hai Di Lao is a popular Chinese hot pot chain. With 75 restaurants to its name, Hai Di Lao recently announced plans to open its first US location in September in the affluent Los Angeles neighborhood of Arcadia.

"The fact that Hai Di Lao is opening its first location in California points to a built-in model for success," said Andrew Zimmern, host of the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods series.