Furious Debate Over ’99 Ranch’ vs ‘Ranch 99’ Erupts on Twitter

September 7, 2018

A new wave of comments has started weighing in on the longstanding debate about the “true” name of a supermarket chain popular among Asians in the U.S.

The business, while officially known as 99 Ranch Market, confused people over time due to its signage that puts the number “99” above and between the words “Ranch” and “Market.”

Roger Chen, a Taiwanese-born American, opened the chain’s first location in Little Saigon, a Vietnamese-American community in Westminster, California in 1984.

Since then, the supermarket has expanded to more than 40 outlets across the U.S., including Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

99 Ranch Market has also become the go-to shopping center for many Asians and Asian-Americans, thanks to its wide selection of products from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries.

Since most customers happen to be Chinese-Americans, Mandarin Chinese serves as the chain’s lingua franca, having announcements relayed in Mandarin alongside English.

Interestingly, the long-time controversy surrounding the supermarket’s name resurfaced on social media recently.

Some declared that it’s 99 Ranch without contest — it’s the official business name, after all.

But others argued that Ranch 99 has evolved to be the popular choice, with one reasoning that it “rolls off the tongue more easily.”

Old forum discussions have also speculated that those who say “Ranch 99” are typically from Northern California.

NextShark opened a poll on the matter and the results show a more favorable option.

It turns out 58% agree that the supermarket is 99 Ranch.

While there’s a clear winner, the fact that nearly half of the respondents stuck by Ranch 99 suggests that the debate may not be over too soon.

Angry Asian Man — which ran a similar poll with surprisingly similar results — also shared a picture of one outlet proving that the confusion has its merits.

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So what do you think? Is it 99 Ranch or Ranch 99?

Featured Images via Instagram / @99ranchmarket (Left) and Twitter / @angryasianman (Right)

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