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.

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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.

IN ADDITION TO CHICKEN WINGS, DRUMSTICKS AND STRIPS, BONCHON

ALSO OFFERS A DELECTABLE SELECTION OF ASIAN

FUSION CUISINE.

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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 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.

FactsheetFounded

2002

U.S. HeadquartersNew York City

Global Headquarters Busan, South Korea

Websitewww.Bonchon.com

About Bonchon is a casual

neighborhood restaurant that specializes in

Korean style fried chicken.

SloganA delicious, new and

exciting kind of chicken. ADDICTED YET?

First restaurant Busan, South Korea

Total restaurantsAs 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.

LeadershipJinduk Seh,

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Hongtae Kim, COUNTRY BUSINESS MANAGER,

UNITED STATES

First U.S. restaurant The first Bonchon opened

in Leonia, New Jersey 2006

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Fun facts

“Bon Chon” means

“Original Village” in Korean

In the News

One of “40 Dishes Every Restaurant Must Try in 2014”

“Best chicken wings in the

country,” 2012“At the new

Bonchon, join the lines,” 2011

“BonChon answers ‘crazy demand’ for Korean

chicken,” 2011

“Forget Buffalo Wings, Who’s in the Mood for Bonchon?”

Midtown Lunch

“Koreans Share Their Secret for Chicken with

a Crunch,” 2007

“The Best Buffalo Hot Wings in America:

A Critical View,” 2009

CRAVED Restaurant Award, Best Game Day Food, 2011

“Critics’ Picks: Best Restaurants,” 2009

Golden Grub Award, 2012

BostonEater.com, 2012

Nymag.com, 2012

Boston Phoenix, 2011

Serious Eats, 2010

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Addicted Yet?

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.

EACH PIECE OF CHICKEN IS HAND

BRUSHED WITH ONE OF OUR SIGNATURE

SAUCES.

Korean fried chicken is made to order using the unique double frying method perfected by founder Jinduk Seh.

Each piece of chicken is hand brushed with one of our signature sauces.

Korean Fermented radish, served at every Bonchon, helps aid digestion after a meal and adds a sweet and tangy compliment to the fried chicken.

Our sauces are made at the same factory in South Korea, so every customer experiences the same authentic taste, no matter where they are.

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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 MCDERMOTTMARIE@BONCHON.COM(941) 451-4440

Bonchon Franchise LLC213w 35th St. Suite 401 - New York, NY 10001

T: 1-212-273-1111