[Should I Start a Business Too] The Original Chicken Mayo Restaurant Behind the 150 Million Bowls Legend, Hansot Dosirak

Hansot's 'Chicken Mayo' lunchbox.

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] There is a lunchbox specialty company that quietly maintained its position as the original ‘cost-effective lunchbox’ without raising menu prices even during the period of soaring prices caused by the IMF crisis. Hansot has continued to grow as a mid-sized dining company with annual sales of 99.6 billion KRW and over 752 stores nationwide, starting from its first 8-pyeong (approx. 26.4 m²) store in Jongno, Seoul in 1993, surpassing 100 stores in 1997 and 600 stores in 2012 since its establishment in 1989.

The representative menu, ‘Chicken Mayo,’ has been loved by the public so much that 150 million bowls have been sold since its launch in 2003. The Chicken Mayo lunchbox, Hansot’s signature dish, features rice cooked with the highest quality Shindongjin single rice variety topped with egg strips and crispy fried chicken karaage slices, combined with Hansot’s signature mayonnaise dressing and rice bowl sauce, creating an exquisite flavor when mixed together.

Hansot applies strict quality control standards to maintain glossy and chewy rice by sourcing rice milled within 1 to 2 days for the best taste. They select the highest quality ‘Shindongjin single-variety new rice,’ which has grains 1.5 times larger and plumper than regular rice, maintaining excellent levels of moisture, protein, and amylose content. Additionally, they preserve the tastiest rice bran layer by using the BRT washing (dry washing) method, ensuring the best rice flavor. By using unmilled rice that removes impurities through friction between rice bran with minimal moisture after milling and grading, Hansot saves over 30,000 tons of water annually, practicing not only good rice taste but also ESG management.

Moreover, the kimchi is made solely with Korean agricultural products, including domestic napa cabbage grown in fertile and clean water regions such as Haenam, Pyeongchang, and Taebaek, Korean red pepper powder, Korean vegetables (garlic, onion, radish), Korean salt, and Korean salted seafood, maintaining trust with customers.

Bulgogi uses Australian S-grade and A-grade beef, maintaining the highest quality through strict quality control. The stir-fried pork uses domestic pork with a balanced mix of lean meat and fat, while pork cutlets, hamburger steaks, rice cake hamburgers, sweet and sour pork, kimchi stew, and sausages all use domestic pork. All products are produced and provided in hygienic HACCP-certified processing plants with traceability enabled by state-of-the-art computer systems.

Hansot takes responsibility for protecting the global environment and leads the eco-friendly trend in the lunchbox industry. All lunchboxes use spoons that reduce plastic usage by 30% compared to conventional disposable spoons, and the monthly flyers are printed using eco-friendly soybean oil ink. Recently, new menus using plant-based alternative meat have been launched. Starting next year, all stores will wear eco-friendly Hansot uniforms made from recycled PET fabric.

Hansot actively practices various social contribution activities supporting socially vulnerable groups. This month, with the launch of the new menu ‘Kimchi Budae Jjigae,’ Hansot is conducting a ‘Good Lunchbox’ donation event in partnership with the international relief and development NGO Save the Children, donating 100 KRW per lunchbox sold. This is the third consecutive year of this sharing event with customers since 2018. They also continuously provide warm support to children facing physical and economic difficulties, elderly people in need, and people with disabilities through related welfare organizations.

Since its inception, Hansot has adhered to the basic principles of an advanced franchise system, maintaining ethical management with humility and a philosophy of coexistence. As a result, franchise store sales have increased annually even during the difficult times caused by COVID-19, and cooperative companies have built a foundation for growth through long-term win-win relationships. Based on trust between headquarters and franchise stores, more than half of the nationwide stores have been operating long-term for over five years, and 30% of the stores have been in business for over ten years. The record of having no disputes or legal lawsuits with franchise stores for over 30 years since its founding fully reflects Hansot’s ethical management.