Park Jung-hyun and CEO Park Jung-eun shared their story about entering the U.S. market with Korean cuisine.
In the tvN entertainment program 'You Quiz on the Block' that aired on the 26th, Chef Park Jung-hyun and CEO Park Jung-eun, who operate the hottest Korean restaurant in the world, appeared as guests.
Park Jung-hyun and CEO Park Jung-eun noted, "Eating Korean food in New York feels like you are a very trendy person," and added, "If you eat sirloin, galbi, and naengmyeon, you are a trendy person," which caught attention.
Park Jung-hyun and CEO Park Jung-eun operate a Korean restaurant in the heart of New York, ranked 6th in the world and 1st in the U.S., serving many people with fine dining courses using Korean artists' tableware and Korean ingredients and cooking methods. Park Jung-eun noted, "It costs about 550,000 won per person," which drew interest.
Yoo Jae-suk asked, "I heard reservations fill up really fast." Park Jung-eun replied, "We open by the month, and it fills up in just 30 minutes."
Park Jung-hyun and Park Jung-eun are alumni of Kyunghee University’s Department of Hotel and Culinary Arts. They headed to New York with just 5 million won, without ever having been to the U.S. before. Park Jung-hyun said, "There were times my bank balance was 1 million won. I used to buy things at the dollar store."
Park Jung-eun mentioned that she earned her living by serving in the restaurant. She said, "I cried every time I went to a restaurant. I cried out of fear. I couldn't fit in with my American friends. If the boss saw I couldn't speak English, I would cry. While wiping glasses, I thought I couldn't give up here."
Park Jung-hyun said, "After staying in New York for about two years, I planned to come back to Korea to open a restaurant, but life in New York was too fun. I thought it would be more Unick to start here. I thought, let's take on the challenge here."
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