The Korean restaurant chain, Bonchon, added a new location to its franchise on eastern Franklin Street January 15.
Bonchon originated in Busan, South Korea. The restaurant opened its first United States location in 2006 in New Jersey. Bonchon has since expanded its franchise to California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts and many more states.
The Franklin Street location is among two other spots in North Carolina: Charlotte and Pineville.
The restaurant is known for its Korean fried chicken, which comes in three flavors: half and half, spicy and soy garlic. Although the fried chicken, chicken wings and chicken strips are the signature dishes according to Wendy Chen, manager of the Chapel Hill location, the menu offers a variety of authentic side dishes as well.
“Our menu is very straightforward: eight main dishes, two salads and soups, and all of the other small dishes [that] are very popular in Korea. I do see a lot of local customers that like it as well,” Chen said.
In preparing their fried chicken, Bonchon fries the chicken twice and coats it with a secret sauce. The Korean fried chicken is a common choice for college students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), according to Chen.
Bonchon’s original motivation for moving to Franklin Street was in response to the high demand from UNC students.
“Those kids love fried chicken,” Chen said.
The restaurant has drawn the attention from individuals across the state. According to Chen, many of Bonchon’s customers are residents from other states that have driven to the restaurant’s because they have heard about the its success.
Chapel Hill senior Julia Ziaee enjoyed her visit to Bonchon.¨I got the half and half wings, so half of them were spicy and half were soy garlic. The chicken was really good. I liked the soy garlic wings a lot,¨ she said.
Although Bonchon is further developing its franchise, the restaurant hopes to continue to embrace its roots. The word “Bonchon” means “hometown” in Korean.
Above all else, Chen stated that her main goal is to, “satisfy customers and make customers happy. I want all of my employees to be happy workers,” she said, “and [I hope] that all of my customers will enjoy the food and enjoy our service.”
