Boise chain opens new restaurant with sauce that’s part secret, part ‘addicting’
When it comes to Idaho restaurant chain Happy Teriyaki, the smiley-face logo kind of says it all.
Especially if you live in West Boise.
Serving protein-packed bowls and plates, the Asian fusion brand opened its newest restaurant Friday at 9056 W. Emerald St. It took over a space next to Rooster’s Eatery & Catering.
The store is the 13th Idaho location for Happy Teriyaki — and 14th overall. Eleven restaurants are in the Treasure Valley. There’s also one in Pleasant Grove, Utah.
Whether it’s a chicken breast bowl, beef noodle dish or pork teriyaki plate, Boise obviously loves Happy Teriyaki’s cooked-to-order menu. A big part of that success, company co-owner Veronica Odiaga says, comes from a secret sauce that’s not exactly a secret.
It’s called Happy Sauce, the finishing touch that gets squirted, zig-zag style, across the top of dishes.
It is, she will tell you candidly, a teriyaki game changer. “It’s addicting, it’s sad to day,” Odiaga explained. “It is fabulous.”
“You could put it on a tire,” she quipped in a February interview, “and everybody would eat it.”
Created by Happy Teriyaki founder and co-owner Tae Cho, a South Korean immigrant, it’s much more than the four basic teriyaki sauce ingredients: soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar, she said.
“Tae is the scientist behind all of Happy Teriyaki’s amazing intangible sauces,” Odiaga added.
Not to set expectations crazy-high, but the new Emerald Street store is a franchise location run by Daniel and Sung Cho. Daniel is Tae’s brother.
“Daniel and Sung have owned other locations and sold to take a break,” Odiaga said. “They are very hands-on owners and care about the quality of the bowls and plates being handed over to customers.”
Translation? Expect the smiles to keep coming at Happy Teriyaki.
This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 12:46 PM.