'Memildanpyeon' Born After Long Efforts by Kyochon Founder... Aiming for Entry into the US Market

"A Elegant Table with Buckwheat That Helped Overcome the Barley Hump"
100% Buckwheat but with Outer Husk Removed to Prevent Breaking
Average 200 Visitors Per Day... Franchise Business Not Yet Available

"Memildanpyeon is a brand born after two years of careful consideration, led by the founder Chairman Kwon Won-gang. Buckwheat, an extremely Korean ingredient, is both a commoner's food and a superfood. However, until now, there was nothing that could be called a proper dish. Based on Kyochon’s philosophy of 'using high-quality ingredients,' we will create Memildanpyeon as if writing a book. As K-food globalizes, we plan to refine and improve it further and expand into the U.S." (Song Won-yeop, Innovation Leader of Kyochon F&B Global Americas & New Business Division)

Song Won-yeop, Innovation Leader of Global Americas and New Business Division at Kyochon F&B, is presenting at the 'Memildanpyeon Media Tasting Event' held on the 21st at Memildanpyeon in Yeouido-dong, Seoul.

Kyochon Launches New Brand 'Memildanpyeon'... "A Wonderful Meal with the Most Korean Ingredients"

Kyochon F&B, the operator of the franchise Kyochon Chicken, has introduced a new brand called ‘Memildanpyeon.’ Opened on the 1st of last month in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Memildanpyeon is a brand that offers a wonderful meal using the traditional ingredient buckwheat. On the 21st, Song Won-yeop, Innovation Leader of Kyochon F&B Global Americas & New Business Division, held a press conference at Memildanpyeon and explained the background of the brand development: "While considering a brand that could embody the value of craftsmanship with the most Korean ingredients, we became interested in buckwheat, a traditional ingredient that helped commoners overcome the barley famine in the past."

Buckwheat grows well even in barren land and has been a precious ingredient for starving commoners. However, due to its coarse and rough nature, it was not widely recorded in old literature. Therefore, Kyochon F&B introduced the brand ‘Memildanpyeon’ with the determination to write the stories of people who enjoy buckwheat dishes themselves.

Memildanpyeon uses 100% domestic pure buckwheat flour from Bongpyeong, Gangwon Province, without adding wheat flour or starch, and makes buckwheat noodles every morning through in-house noodle making. The broth is made with 1++ grade Korean beef and chicken, and premium perilla oil from Paju, produced by a family-run oil shop for three generations, is used, showing meticulous care from ingredients to the cooking process. Leader Song added, "We minimized chemical ingredients to produce natural umami as much as possible," and "Because we sought flavor from natural sources, the overall taste is mild."

The tableware used in the store is a bangjja (bronze) utensil personally crafted by master artisan Lee Bong-ju, an honorary intangible cultural asset holder whose craft is gradually being forgotten. Leader Song said, "Although the tableware is very difficult to maintain, we chose it because we want to promote Korean-style tableware overseas as well."

Buckwheat Pancake Set Meal

100% Domestic Buckwheat... To Improve the 'Breaking' Texture, All Outer Husks Are Removed

The signature menu of Memildanpyeon is ‘buckwheat noodles.’ Made from 100% domestic buckwheat. Since buckwheat contains no gluten, the noodles tend to have a rough texture and break easily when made. To improve this, all the outer husks, which make up 60% of the buckwheat grain, are removed, finely ground, and the dough is kneaded and aged with only a small amount of salt, then noodles are made to order.

Among the side dishes, the ‘Handmade Gondre Jeonbyeong’ is limited to 20 pieces sold daily. A notable feature is that 10kg of cabbage is used for these 20 pieces. The cabbage, compressed to a quarter of its volume by squeezing out moisture, along with gondre (wild greens), pork, green onions, and Cheongyang chili peppers, is wrapped in buckwheat pancakes, creating a savory and exquisite taste.

Buckwheat Noodle Banquet

First Store Opened in Yeouido, a Business District Concentrated with Offices... 200 Customers Visit Daily

Kyochon F&B focused on analyzing the commercial district for Memildanpyeon’s opening. It took more than six months just to select the first store location. Yeouido’s business district is one of Seoul’s key commercial areas, with about 250,000 office workers and a daily floating population approaching 730,000. Leader Song said, "Since there are many middle-class and above customers working in the financial industry, we expected stable fixed demand and purchasing power, making it an optimal district for launching a new brand." In the future, the brand plans to expand stores mainly in office districts such as Gangnam and Jongno. Recently, negotiations for department store entry are also underway.

However, for the time being, the stores will operate as directly managed outlets rather than franchises. Leader Song stated, "Once we gain confidence in the brand and the menu’s scalability increases, we plan to start franchising."

There are also plans to enter the U.S. market. Leader Song said, "A U.S. star chef previously visited Memildanpyeon and encouraged us to expand to the U.S. As K-food globalizes, we plan to refine the menu using ingredients available in the U.S. and enter the American market."

Currently, the Yeouido Memildanpyeon store receives about 200 customers daily. Especially, the ‘Memildanpyeon Bansang’ menu, limited to 20 servings daily, sells out within 10 to 15 minutes after opening, and it is so popular that dining without waiting is difficult. Recently, weekend visitors have also increased, with daily sales rising more than 140% compared to the same period last month. Customer revisit rates exceed 40%.

Analysis of actual customer orders shows that besides the signature buckwheat noodles, the order ratio for alcoholic beverages such as ‘Eunhasu Makgeolli’ and side dishes is also high, leading to a continuous increase in average spending per customer. The two types of ‘Eunhasu Makgeolli’ sold at Memildanpyeon are traditional liquors made by Kyochon’s affiliate ‘Fermentation Workshop 1991.’ They are served in an ice bucket with special glasses, providing a unique and enjoyable experience. ‘Eunhasu Makgeolli’ is a modernized traditional liquor called ‘Gamhyangju (甘香酒)’ made at a 100-year-old brewery located in Yeongyang-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, the highest altitude area in the province. It is characterized by using no additives other than water, rice, and nuruk (fermentation starter), preserving the pristine natural environment."