K-Franchise investment and affiliation seminar were held Thursday to introduce entrepreneurs in Los Angeles about franchise food businesses from South Korea.
Hosted by the Korean Franchise Association (KFA), the seminar was held at the L.A. Koreatown’s Oxford Palace Hotel. About 150 people attended the event.
Mom’s Touch, Coffee Bay, Taekwon K-BBQ, Spirit Churros, Somi Somi, Sul & Beans, Bentorang, Meal Top and MARU MAKI were among the 12 businesses introduced at the seminar.
“We’ll be opening our first U.S. location in Buena Park this December,” said Joon-hyeon Baek, who is in charge of Meal Top’s U.S. operations. “We have a 30-year tradition of serving the original Korean shaved ice. Our goal is to bring that to the U.S. We’re not just looking to expand our business in the U.S. We’d like to become a long-lasting business here.”
Coffee Bay also began promoting its brand actively after signing a deal to enter WalMart.
“We were approved to start a franchise business in Southern California last July,” said Coffee Bay’s U.S. management director Jae-woo Choi. “We currently have about 450 locations in Korea. We’re going to support Korean-Americans who can run our café in the U.S.”
The attendees at the seminar visited each booth to learn about each business.
“Desserts made by Korean businesses are visually appealing,” said Alice Shim, a teriyaki restaurant owner in L.A. “I’d like to target consumers in their 20s and 30s with a Korean-style dessert shop in Seattle, where Amazon and Costco are headquartered.”
Another attendee who came from Virginia for the seminar said: “My acquaintance is running a few shopping malls and I was wondering if I could open a Korean franchise there. I’d like to find a brand that could also target non-Korean consumers.”
However, critics said that starting a Korean franchise business in the U.S. is a risky move.
“It’s really difficult to be approved as a franchise business in the U.
S.,” said one of the attendees. “You have to fully understand the regulations in the U.S. I’m looking for a trustworthy brand that would do everything it can to protect the business owners.”
KFA’s West Coast director Ho-uk Lee, who organized the event, said: “We’re going to do everything we can for everyone to develop a symbiotic relationship. Anyone who’s having difficulties related to Korean franchise businesses can contact us and we’ll help them.”
By Heejung Hong
