▲ CEO Choi Dong-jo

Mukbang – food show – is one of the hottest newly coined words in South Korea. Catching the trend fast, numerous food channels and food Youtubers are scrambling to get the most attention from the audience with their own creative contents and some to a level of challenging such as how much one could eat or how fast or how hot. Talking of hot – spicy – food, Koreans love of spicy food does not need to mention. <Power Korea> paid a visit to Songju Bul Naengmyeon (Songju Fiery Cold Noodle) to give a try.

Buckwheat noodle but fiery taste!

Choi Dong-jo, CEO of SJ Food System and Songju Bul Naengmyeon, jumped in cold noodle business in 2004 as he thought it was a traditional Korean food and it was timeless. After a year in 2005, he started a franchise in earnest. As of now in 2019, he has become as successful an entrepreneur in the dine-out business as to run 150 branches nationwide with the sole directly managed restaurant in Gimpo City. With its hottest menu Bul Naengmyeon, the restaurants offer Kalguksu – knife cut wheat flour noodle – and Tonkatsu – breaded and deep fried cutlet, and Mandu – dumplings. Businesswise, one can start a branch with small capital of around USD 26,000. Choi says that most branch owners joined the business with small capital because he knows very well the fact that the business would fall without the growth of its partners. 

Introducing Deopbab – bowl of topped rice –

All ingredients of Songju Bul Naengmyeon including the ingredients for side dishes are prepared at its own factory from which they are delivered directly to each branch nationwide. Thanks to this all-in-one system, the foods at Songju Bul Naengmyeon are relatively cheaper than others while the quality intact. Also, the persons in charge of ingredients purchase them as fresh as possible through a bid at an agro-fishery market.

Operation cost-wise, the manless payment system lets dinners to order and take the food themselves and return the food tray back. In other words, the restaurant owners can save labor cost. While regional offices have already been running in Busan Metropolitan City, Ulsan Metropolitan City, Daegu Metropolitan City, Gwangju Metropolitan City and South Gyeongsang Province, CEO Choi is ambitious to increase the number of restaurants to 500 within the year. Meanwhile, Songju Bul Naengmyeon is to add Deopbab – bowl of topped rice – this autumn. 

Tips to enjoy Bibim Naengmyeon

“Add just a good amount of mustard, vinegar and sugar to enjoy the ultimate taste of Bibim Naengmyeon – mixed cold noodle –“ advises Choi.