press kit
Bonchon
Chicken
Jinduk Seh opened the first Bonchon in
2002 in the coastal city of Busan, South
Korea. Since then, Bonchon has risen
to the level of global phenomenon with
stores in the Philippines, Singapore,
Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea and
the United States. Seh opened his first
U.S. location in Leonia, New Jersey
in 2006, jump-starting America’s
obsession with the other KFC—
Korean fried chicken.
In South Korea, Seh perfected the double
frying method used for Bonchon chicken.
In this method, much of the fat under
the skin is rendered out during the
frying process, making it paper-thin
and lean, but extra crispy. The meat
underneath the skin is tender and moist.
After frying, each piece of chicken is
double brushed in one of two signature
sauces, made from a heavily guarded
secret recipe.
Bonchon’s soy garlic sauce combines
the savory deep flavors of soybeans
with garlic. The spicy sauce has a bolder
taste with a kick and is inspired by the
fiery Korean red pepper.
“
IN SOUTH KOREA, SEH
PERFECTED THE DOUBLE
FRYING METHOD USED
FOR BONCHON CHICKEN.
IN THIS METHOD, MUCH
OF THE FAT UNDER THE
SKIN IS RENDERED OUT
DURING THE FRYING
PROCESS, MAKING IT
PAPER-THIN AND LEAN,
BUT EXTRA CRISPY.
”
Bonchon prides itself in the
fact that all chicken is made
to order, using the highest
quality ingredients. In addition
to chicken wings, drumsticks
and strips, Bonchon also offers
a delectable selection of Asian
fusion cuisine.
“
IN ADDITION TO CHICKEN WINGS,
DRUMSTICKS AND STRIPS, BONCHON
ALSO OFFERS A DELECTABLE
SELECTION OF ASIAN
FUSION CUISINE.
”
In addition to excellent food,
Bonchon offers a variety of
dining experiences: sports bar,
traditional sit-down and quick
service. The traditional sit-down
restaurant provides a friendly,
casual dining experience
perfect for gatheing with
family or friends. Our sports bar
restaurants offer a full bar and
televisions for broadcasting
games. Quick service restaurants
serve Bonchon to customers
looking for express-style dining.
For the ultimate convenience,
most restaurants also offer
take-out and delivery services.
Factsheet
Founded
2002
U.S. Headquarters
New York City
Global Headquarters
Busan, South Korea
Website
www.Bonchon.com
Fun
facts
“Bon Chon”
means
“Original Village”
in Korean
About
Bonchon is a casual
neighborhood restaurant
that specializes in
Korean style fried chicken.
Slogan
A delicious, new and
exciting kind of chicken.
ADDICTED YET?
First restaurant
Busan, South Korea
First U.S. restaurant
The first Bonchon opened
in Leonia, New Jersey 2006
Leadership
Jinduk Seh,
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Hongtae Kim,
COUNTRY BUSINESS MANAGER,
UNITED STATES
143
Total restaurants
As of April 18, 2014 there
are 143 locations in six
countries, with 23 of them
in the United States. These
include both corporate and
franchise owned locations.
In the News
One of “40 Dishes Every
Restaurant Must Try in 2014”
“Koreans Share Their
Secret for Chicken with
a Crunch,” 2007
“At the new
Bonchon, join the
lines,” 2011
“Best chicken
wings in the
country,” 2012
“Forget Buffalo
Wings, Who’s in the
Mood for Bonchon?”
Midtown Lunch
Nymag.com, 2012
“The Best Buffalo Hot
Wings in America:
A Critical View,” 2009
Golden Grub
Award, 2012
“BonChon answers
‘crazy demand’ for Korean
chicken,” 2011
Boston Phoenix, 2011
Serious Eats, 2010
BostonEater.com, 2012
“Critics’ Picks: Best
Restaurants,” 2009
CRAVED Restaurant Award,
Best Game Day Food, 2011
Addicted Yet?
“
EACH PIECE OF
CHICKEN IS HAND
BRUSHED WITH ONE
OF OUR SIGNATURE
SAUCES.
1
Korean fried chicken is
made to order using the
unique double frying
method perfected by
founder Jinduk Seh.
2
Our sauces are made at
the same factory in South
Korea, so every customer
experiences the same
authentic taste, no matter
where they are.
3
Each piece of chicken is
hand brushed with one of
our signature sauces.
”
4
Every piece of Bonchon
chicken is imbued with the
essence of Korean flavor —
Korean chili pepper, soy and
garlic are essential seasonings
in Korean cooking.
5
Korean Fermented radish,
served at every Bonchon,
helps aid digestion after a
meal and adds a sweet and
tangy compliment to the
fried chicken.
Jinduk Seh,
President & CEO
Jinduk Seh began his
impressive career in the
restaurant industry over 20
years ago. He started out
managing a Korean Oxtail
Soup restaurant where he
developed an appreciation
for satisfying his customers
with good service and high
quality ingredients.
This led him to create
BONCHON, A GLOBAL
FRIED CHICKEN
PHENOMENON WITH
OVER 140 LOCATIONS
SPANNING ACROSS
SIX COUNTRIES.
Mr. Seh is passionate about
food, and especially the
unique fried chicken from
his home country of South
Korea. When perfecting his
recipe for fried chicken, he
wanted to pay homage to
his beginnings through
Bonchon, which means
“original village” in Korean.
He started by refining the
double frying method that
makes Bonchon chicken
extra crispy on the outside
and moist on the inside.
But still, Mr. Seh knew his
chicken was missing a secret
weapon, one that would set
Bonchon apart from its
competitors. He set out on
two years of intense research,
seeking sauces to embody
the rich distinctive tastes
that represented Korea’s
unique palate. He found that
soy and garlic encompassed
the savory flavor of Korean
cooking while spicy chilies
brought the fiery Korean kick.
The result was Bonchon’s
original soy garlic and spicy
sauce, which to this day is
made in Korea and shipped
worldwide.
The success of Bonchon
in his home country gave
Mr. Seh the confidence to
expand his business. He set
his sights overseas, opening
locations in Singapore,
Thailand, Indonesia and the
Philippines. The first location
in the United States opened in
Leonia, New Jersey in 2006.
Customers waited in line for
two hours and media outlets
like CNN and The New York
Times welcomed the arrival
of Korean fried chicken to
American shores. This was
soon followed by locations in
New York City and 23 others
throughout the country.
Today, Bonchon is dedicated
to serving up delicious
made-to-order chicken
hand brushed with the original
sauces. The popularity of
Bonchon has little to do with
the Korean pop culture wave,
but everything to do with the
delicious product, which has
a devoted following in every
restaurant’s community.
As President and CEO, Mr.
Seh overseas all Bonchon
locations and is looking
forward to expanding his
brand even more.
He follows the advice of Yogi
Berra, who famously said,
“IT AIN’T OVER TILL
IT’S OVER” saying “To me
Yogi Berra’s words don’t
simply mean that I won’t
give up in difficult times,
but rather that I’ll constantly
move forward and won’t let
things end.”
CONTACT INFO
MARIE TAE MCDERMOTT
[email protected]
(941) 451-4440
Bonchon Franchise LLC
213w 35th St. Suite 401 - New York, NY 10001
T: 1-212-273-1111