Aucklander’s appetites getting taste for Korean fried chicken
John Song, director of Korean fried chicken chain Kokodak, talks to the Herald about growing from a small start-up in an Auckland garage and his plans to bring Korean-style chicken to more people in the future.
What is Kokodak?
Kokodak is a pure Korean fried chicken chain in Auckland with the aim of showing the diversity of food to residents.
What does Kokodak mean?
Kokodak is a compound word meaning chicken’s cry sound in Korean.
What motivated you to start the business?
As Korean fried chicken spreads worldwide so quickly, we launched it to take it closer and faster to residents.
What were you doing before Kokodak?
I started my business in 2008 under the name Maru Sushi & Don. It is a brand that has been in operation so far and is very well known to local people.
When did you start Kokodak and how much has it grown since you started?
Kokodak was launched during the Covid-19 period in 2021, starting with the Ormiston branch.
We spent a year studying in the garage before opening to create the unique taste of delicious Korean fried chicken using only local ingredients. Kokodak is currently operating and managing three direct stores and six franchises. We are planning to open two or three more stores this year.
How big is your team?
Currently, we have a powder and sauce manufacturing facility in Onehunga that uses only local ingredients. The total number of employees is about 30 people, only for direct stores we own, and all Kokodak stores consume 12 tonnes per month of chicken.
What makes Korean fried chicken “Korean”?
The difference from existing American-style companies such as KFC and Texas Chicken is that they are coated with various kinds of seasoning sauce on the outside of the chicken.
It is called Korean Fried Chicken, receiving global attention for its different flavours. For reference, there are more than 50,000 fried chicken restaurants in South Korea, a small area, and it is called the Chicken Republic.
What other food does Kokodak sell?
In addition to chicken, we are introducing a variety of K-food (Korean street food) and will develop and introduce more diverse items in the future.
What have been your biggest challenges in business to date?
In the early days, it started with limited capital. Financial problems made it difficult to make inroads in areas other than Auckland or cities. In addition, it had to go through numerous trials and errors while using only local ingredients and delivering true Korean fried chicken flavours to customers.
What have been your highlights in business?
Of course, the pursuit of profit is the basic goal of a company, but it is more valuable than that to feel a sense of accomplishment in the process of growing a business.
Where do you see Kokodak in the next two to three years?
In the next three years, the goal is to increase the number of stores so that anyone can conveniently taste Korean-style chicken.
What’s your advice for others thinking about starting their own business?
To those who are preparing to start a business, I hope you don’t pursue profits too much at first. Of course, as mentioned earlier, the main point of business is to generate profits. However, if you provide excellent service and taste to your customers, money will naturally follow. Another thing is to treat customers with kindness and sincerity.