In the heart of Las Vegas, at the Venetian Resort, the Korean steakhouse "COTE (꽃)" opened on the 4th. It is the third U.S. location, following New York in 2017 and Florida in 2021. The Venetian Resort is marking its 25th anniversary with a major renovation project worth about $1.5 billion (about 2 trillion won), and included the Korean steakhouse COTE in the plan.
In the F&B industry, people are focusing on the fact that COTE entered Las Vegas, the home of glitz, with 100% investment. At the same time, analysis of COTE's success factors is in full swing. When COTE opened its New York restaurant in 2017, it was immediately described by The New York Times as "first class of steakhouses," and it has received Michelin stars for eight consecutive years since 2018.
ChosunBiz met COTE's chief executive officer (CEO) and chef, Simon Kim (Korean name Kim Si-jun, 43), on the 12th of last month at the Shilla Hotel in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, to ask about the restaurant COTE, the Korean Wave taking hold in the United States, and future plans.
— You opened your third U.S. location in Las Vegas on the 4th. Why there?
"I dreamed of Las Vegas from the moment I first started the restaurant. Then a good opportunity came along. The location is good. Personally, it also feels like a reentry for me. When I was in college, I worked for three years at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. I worked the front desk and also managed Shibuya, a high-end Japanese restaurant. Since then, I've been thinking about how to capture Las Vegas' splendor, music, and energy in a restaurant. For this Las Vegas COTE location, I tried to pack in all those stimulating elements."
— The New York restaurant COTE made a splash from the start.
"That's right. We were fully booked from our first opening in July 2017, even before The New York Times review came out. It didn't happen by accident. I think the reputation I built running the Italian restaurant Fiora before creating COTE helped. The name came from the Korean word piuda, meaning 'a flower bud opening.' It was the process of bringing my dream into bloom. I was determined to cultivate the dream of infusing Korean flavors into the global palate. At the time, we became the third Korean-run restaurant in Manhattan to earn a Michelin star. Next, we said, let's create a restaurant that truly integrates Korean cuisine, and that's how the restaurant COTE was born. We had already made it bloom, so this time we named the restaurant to signify, literally, letting the flower bloom. It was the result of long preparation, and we put that much thought into it."
— You are credited with elevating the level of Korean BBQ. Why target the premium category?
"France has tiers like restaurant, bistro, and brasserie, and Italian eateries are divided into ristorante, osteria, trattoria, and inoteca. But Korean food was basically just mass-market eateries. I thought there should be stages and a spectrum, like the categories in Italian or French dining. The same goes for Korean BBQ: you need an ecosystem where casual places and premium steakhouse-style spots with strong wine lists coexist. That's the segment I wanted to target."
— What sets COTE apart from restaurants with similar concepts?
"Since COTE's success, many restaurants have tried to follow, but I think the depth of reasoning is different. I went to the United States when I was 13. I kept asking myself, 'Am I Korean or American?' The conclusion was that I am neither, not someone defined by or, but someone who connects with and. That was the beginning of COTE.
Korean barbecue restaurants are boisterous and lively. Traditional American steakhouses are reserved and upscale. I didn't just mix the two; I wanted to create a new genre somewhere in between. Not Korean-style barbecue, not an American steakhouse, but a space situated between the two—that felt important. I tried to capture Korea and the United States, tradition and modernity, at the same time. That way guests have an experience that is unfamiliar yet fresh."
"How to realize this mattered, and the thing I focused on most was the wine list. An American steakhouse is also a place of business. Wine is indispensable. We put our heart into pairing (paring: enjoying food with matching drinks)."
— It sounds hard to pioneer a new genre.
"That's right. We tried many new things while finding the balance point. For example, we thought customers would enjoy grilling meat themselves, but most didn't grill well and burned it. So we decided to have staff do the grilling and elevate it into a performance. Since guests might be unskilled at grilling, we first grilled the meat for them and explained as we went. We teach guests not only the English names of the cuts but also the Korean terms. Now we hold a regular 1-hour-30-minute training session every month. Usually we cover technical aspects—how to grill certain cuts to best preserve the juices, and how to slice depending on the muscle's position and grain. This creates moments that serve as a kind of hospitality time, where staff and customers meet at a touchpoint. It's also a reason we're popular with New Yorkers."
— I'm curious about your menu development process.
"We develop menus with the idea of bring delight to customer at the center. At COTE in New York, we served an appetizer of toasting gim on a stone, then topping it with rice and uni, and it was well received. In Miami, we created a Korean-style ceviche. With abundant seafood there, I thought of Korea's mulhoe. To make it familiar to consumers, we presented it as ceviche. For Las Vegas, since it's a place for casinos, we introduced the 'blackjack sandwich.' We used truffles and wagyu. What matters is a delicious, stylish, and delightful experience. We built the menu with rigorous consideration for consumers' taste, style, and enjoyment."
— The New York Times called it "first class of steakhouses." Given your success in going upscale, the average check must be high.
"People might misunderstand and think it's just an expensive restaurant, but that's not true. We set the basic course at $78. There's not much difference from competing restaurants without Michelin stars. Even so, we offer a full course including dessert. That's why we're fully booked from 5 p.m. Some customers come for a light meal and leave, while after 8 p.m. the seats fill with guests enjoying cocktails and caviar. From there, the average check is high. It's a strategy to maximize seat utilization. Because we've formed a kind of ecosystem, there's no reason to raise the basic course price. We've thoroughly considered and secured price competitiveness."
— More Korean restaurants are leading with the Korean Wave. How do you see things going?
"I think content is necessary for the expansion of K-food. The lively, cheerful atmosphere I enjoyed at a restaurant in Namwon that I visited with my father when I was young remains within me. I grew and added to that memory to create the restaurant COTE. Just because COTE is doing well, simply copying and reproducing it won't last. Creativity, warm hospitality, and the work of building each brand's unique story must go hand in hand for the Korean premium to keep expanding. Mere replication will inevitably undermine K-food and the Korean restaurant market. It could damage the market itself. You need a clear story and style of your own."
— What are your future plans?
"In the short term, we plan to open a second New York location. It will be at 505 Madison Avenue. In the mid to long term, I also want to launch a chicken brand called cocodaq. In French, coco means chicken. I want to grow it into a global brand that can stand alongside Chipotle and Popeyes."