New Korean fried chicken spot opening this month; owner documents process on Youtube
When Han Yun moved to America from South Korea to attend OSU for a finance degree, opening a Korean fried chicken restaurant wasn’t what he initially planned. He worked for two global banks, making over 100k a year, and living a comfortable life.
But when the pandemic hit, he realized that delivering food to family, friends, and neighbors, was more of a reflection of his values, and he decided to pivot. And, in this process of changing careers, he’s sharing it with us all via Youtube. “On this channel, I want to show how to build a chicken brand from nothing,” Yun explains.
In one of his videos, he explains, “Whether we had a lot [of food] or a little, my parents always shared with the neighbors. They ran a chicken restaurant, and I helped them work there on the weekends. When I returned to the U.S., I worked at a famous chicken franchise, and I dreamed of opening my own Korean-style chicken restaurant one day.”
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His dreams are officially becoming a reality after strategically planning for months where he would open his Korean fried chicken restaurant, called Crunchick. First, his videos show him looking at food trucks and various, open restaurants around the Short North and Downtown, but many of those places were closed retail spaces with no kitchens, or they cost around 35k a month.
Yun then started looking at all the food halls in Columbus. He hoped for the empty spot in the North Market, which was once Omega Bakery, but the North Market wouldn’t accept his application because there’s already a Hot Chicken Takeover there. “I was actually a bit disappointed, but there was no choice,” he explained. “Actually, it is a really good policy because North Market tries to protect vendors that are already running there.”
At Budd Dairy and East Market, there were no openings, but the owners of the location said they would keep his application.
Yun finally decided on an open space at New Albany’s Bubbly Hall, located at 6065 Central College Road. “There are Korean fried chicken restaurants in other places, but not in New Albany, and I’d love to offer that here.”
Crunchick’s target opening date is February 18th, and customers can expect crispy yet juicy Korean fried chicken sandwiches and wings sourced from local farms, made with special homemade sauces, like soy garlic, white garlic, and a signature spicy red sauce. Fries and home-made coleslaw will be featured on the menu as well.
Yun releases a new video taking us on an in-depth journey every Thursday, so check it out if you’re interested in how starting a restaurant business looks like in Columbus!
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