Actor Jung I-rang shared behind-the-scenes stories of the restaurant business with her husband Kim Hyung-keun.
On the Feb. 2 broadcast of MBN "Altoran," Jung I-rang and her husband appeared alongside Lee Sang-min, Lee Yeon-bok, Cha Yoo-na and Danny Ahn. The couple, married 15 years, explained why they appeared together: "I used to do a lot of the cooking, but these days my husband started in the restaurant business and has taken it on fully."
Kim Hyung-keun currently operates six restaurants, including a Vietnamese specialty restaurant. He said frankly, "The scale is quite large. Annual sales are about 4 to 5 billion won." Hearing this, Jung I-rang laughed and asked, "Then why is there no money in the bank?" Her husband replied, "Failures are included in sales. There is never any money," prompting laughter.
Jung I-rang added, "Actually there were seven, but one failed," and Kim Hyung-keun surprised viewers by admitting, "About six failed." In response, Jung I-rang said, "So we drastically reduced the number of locations. Now only five Vietnamese restaurants remain."
A former taekwondo head instructor, Kim Hyung-keun said, "I was nervous even if only 10 customers came. I practiced one bowl every day, so mistakes were common. Those customers never came back," he said frankly. He went on to say he spent three years traveling between Hanoi and Da Nang to learn the pho broth secrets firsthand in Vietnam.
Regarding her husband's challenge, Jung I-rang said with a laugh, "At first I opposed it, but now I respect him. The problem is he has such a good sense for business that he keeps starting things." Lee Yeon-bok advised, "He's very greedy," and Cha Yoo-na asked, "If one succeeds, that should be enough — why expand?" Kim Hyung-keun confessed, "I thought everything would succeed."
Meanwhile, Kim Hyung-keun previously revealed on SBS "Same Bed, Different Dreams 2" the process of transforming from a taekwondo head instructor to a restaurant CEO, drawing attention when he said, "At one point monthly sales reached 100 million won."
[Photo] Broadcast capture
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