Stand-up comedians are used to tuning out the din of clinking glasses from two-drink minimums and patrons walking in and out during sets. But what about rolling shopping carts or the smell of fried fish?
That kind of ambience is what you’ll find on comic Jenny Yang’s unique nationwide summer comedy tour, where she has been turning cultural grocery stores into comedy clubs for a night. And she’s been leaning into her unconventional venue choice.
鈥淚 got to buy a bunch of small snacks and shrimp chips and throw it into the audience every time I felt like a joke didn鈥檛 land,鈥� Yang said. 鈥淚 mean this is my dream.鈥�
A stand-up and sketch comedy veteran whose acting credits include the Yang is living a dream of 鈥渢he most politically and creatively fulfilling project鈥� she’s ever done. The is partly her reaction to the impacting Asian, Latino and Black communities. She wanted to entertain in cities with immigrant enclaves where she could give back. So, Yang and her team chose grocery store stops and nonprofits to donate to based on recommendations from local organizations.
The unorthodox tour has grown from five performances to nearly 20, far beyond her expectations. It started June 5 in Los Angeles, where Yang lives, and has taken her to Minneapolis, Phoenix and other cities. After stops in New York and San Francisco, the tour will wrap Sept. 26 back in L.A. with Yang filming a performance for a proposed comedy special.
She touches on topics ranging from infertility to awareness of immigrant experiences in the U.S. While comedians are divided on whether stand-up should stand down on politics, Yang has always spoken on it.
鈥淧eople come into this art form as a stand-up comedian for different reasons. I am of the mind that my stand-up comedy is just an extension of my values and I believe in punching up, not down,鈥� Yang said.
Being inspired to be a 鈥榞ood egg鈥�
Last December, Yang, who immigrated from Taiwan, was back there to receive what was a failed round of in vitro fertilization treatment. Heartbroken and sitting in front of an omelet breakfast, she lamented not having 鈥渙ne good egg” to start a family. As she mulled a new endeavor to focus on, her mind drifted toward the 鈥渘on-stop barrage鈥� of headlines about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
That’s when the idea for a tour weaving her past as a labor organizer with her passion for stand-up sparked.
鈥漈he ability to do and bring a show together, and bring people together inside of the immigrant grocery store, to me, reaffirms our ability to take up space and to own the space that matters to us,” Yang said.
After emceeing a gala for the Asian Law Caucus in April, Yang shared her outside-the-box idea with the San Francisco-based group. The Caucus works pro bono in immigrant communities and on high-profile cases like the . They hired Yang not just for her comedic touch but as 鈥渟omebody who culturally could relate to the communities that we serve,鈥� said executive director Aarti Kohli. The Caucus offered its vast network of Asian American community leaders and immigrant-centered nonprofits nationwide.
鈥淎lthough we are a legal civil rights organization, we understand that so much of how we reach community is through, especially for Asian communities, food and culture,鈥� Kohli said. 鈥淚 think comedy is healing and unifying.鈥�
How a grocery store becomes a stage
At Shuang Hur Supermarket in Minneapolis 鈥� half a block from where ICE agents 鈥� Yang put on a show in July, said manager Henry Zhou.
They reconfigured shelves near the checkout lanes to fit 150 chairs, he said.
鈥淓verybody got in line to buy some snacks and some drinks. A few people even did a bit of grocery shopping,鈥� Zhou said.
He then dimmed the lights for Yang.
鈥淛ust renting a spotlight makes a show,鈥� Yang said. 鈥淗ow fun is it that I鈥檓 literally doing stand-up comedy next to an aisle that sells fungus and five pounds of rice?鈥�
Zhou found it a 鈥渦nique experience鈥� that he’d do again.
鈥淲e enjoyed every minute. Even after the show, everyone stayed and chatted,鈥� Zhou said. 鈥淚鈥檓 pretty sure it helped us promote the store.鈥�
The value of cultural grocery stores in the US
“Ethnic food鈥� is no longer just a supermarket aisle. Chains like H Mart and 99 Ranch Market, as well as smaller stores, generate $55.8 billion in revenue, according to a 2025 report from market research firm IBISWorld.
These stores are also 鈥渃ross-cultural meeting grounds,鈥� said Willow Lung, founding director of the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network. They provide jobs for locals and attract other businesses such as restaurants, beauty counters, and even tax preparers. They can be anchors where there is no Chinatown or Japantown.
鈥淭hey act as kind of a 鈥榤ain street,鈥� if you will, for communities,鈥� Lung said. 鈥淭here’s just so many ways in which we underestimate the value of a grocery store as just being like, 鈥極h, it just sells these products and services.鈥欌��
For over a year, international grocers have struggled with and the absence of immigrant customers fearful of venturing out. Some stores had to close temporarily or long-term, Lung added.
Grocery workers like Zhou try to 鈥渏ust help as much as we can.鈥� For a few customers, he took a shopping list via text and delivered it.
Yang hopes bringing a dose of humor will momentarily distract from the angst so many of these communities continue to feel.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a way to remind people, yes, there鈥檚 a lot of doom and gloom,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut, we got to make room for joy.鈥�
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