CEO Baek Inspects Hong Kong Banjeom Branches and Retrains Franchisees
Creates New Recipe Videos and Installs Monitors in Stores
Scolds Problematic Branches... "Do Not Cause Harm"
Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea, inspected his flagship franchise 'Hong Kong Banjeom 0410' and began retraining franchisees. However, some branches still presented food that did not meet the standards, drawing strong criticism from him. On the 10th, Baek uploaded a video titled '[Naekkonaemeok_Hong Kong Banjeom Part 2] We Are Still Changing' on his YouTube channel. Negative public opinion had formed among netizens regarding Hong Kong Banjeom, and Baek’s direct inspection was an effort to quell the controversy.
In a previous video, after inspecting some Hong Kong Banjeom branches, he said, "It seems the stores are not referring to the manual book and recipe videos," and added, "We are working on a project to provide simpler videos that can be watched and followed in-store so that the basics can be consistently achieved." Accordingly, he first rechecked the jjajang recipe and produced recipe videos to distribute to franchisees. Additionally, he invested 90 million KRW to install monitors in 283 stores so that franchisees could watch the recipe videos and prepare the food accordingly.
Later, Baek secretly visited the problematic branches. Branch D, which previously had thin egg garnish and noodles that were sticky like rice cakes, showed improved taste, making Baek proud. Branch A had an issue with overly strong seasoning, but this time a new problem was found: the amount of meat in the jjajang was insufficient, which frustrated Baek. He scolded the franchisee, saying, "If this continues, not only will you fail as a store owner, but the entire Hong Kong Banjeom brand will suffer. We even installed monitors for you, so how can it get worse than before?"
He also instructed The Born Korea staff, "What exactly did you teach last time? Watch the store owner stir-fry the jjajang, and if done properly, have them taste it compared to the previous jjajang."
Baek said he wants to make a surprise visit to Branch A to provide direct guidance, but the franchisee refuses, making it difficult. He explained, "(Filming without consent) is illegal. In fact, even this store did not consent to filming. They say don’t come and don’t film." He added, "I know most franchisees work hard. That’s why we want to support them helpfully. But some franchisees should not cause harm to others."
The Born Korea planned to go public in 2018 but postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Now, on its 30th anniversary this year, it is preparing for an IPO again. Last year, The Born Korea’s sales reached a record high of 410.7 billion KRW, a 45.5% increase from the previous year, while operating profit decreased slightly by 0.6% to 25.6 billion KRW.
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