Intro
The name of our company is Korean BBQ Richmond.
Well, we should think about why we are called that. What does it mean?
We think that the name “Korean BBQ Richmond” is a real and practical name for our business. We are not just a bunch of kids with a business idea, we have something which we have been doing for more than 8 years now and have enough experience to be able to do what we do best.
So why do we call ourselves “Korean BBQ Richmond”? Our main reason is that it sounds good. It is not just some random fancy name, and in addition it has some meaning behind it.
The meaning behind the name “Korean BBQ Richmond” is that this is the point in time when Korean BBQ restaurants were most popular in Richmond (hence its name). And since Richmond was famous for being home to VCU (VCU being Virginia Commonwealth University), everyone calls everyone else using the word “richmond” as a term of endearment to each other or simply “richman” or the like. See: http://www.weirdlylongnames.com/richman-about-this-name/ . And since Richmond has long been known as the place where you can find good Korean BBQ, we thought it would be fitting if our first restaurant was in Richmond too!
And also, there’s another reason why we named our restaurant “Richmond bbq richmond”. The word “bbq” comes from “banchan”, which means “dishes”. In Korean culture, banchan is often used as food for breakfast and dinner. Therefore, the word “bbq richmond” means “the dishes of korean bbq richmond”! That’s right! If you come here at this point in time, you will definitely find one dish more delicious than any other dish you might have at other restaurants! So then…you just may want to say this restaurant serves banchan too! But then again…did you really eat banchan?
Korean BBQ
Korean BBQ, or Korean Ribs, is a practice in which the meat is grilled on a skewer, then used for consumption. It has been popular in Korea for centuries and is said to have originated from South Korea.
One of the many reasons why Korean BBQ has been so popular in it’s homeland is that it’s very inexpensive. Most people cook the meat on a skewer rather than roasting it over open flame, which would result in a lot more smoke. This method results in less charring and also produces less sauce per pound of meat (it might be worth it to invest some time cooking your own BBQ).
However, there are several problems with this method:
1) It can be very messy! There’s nothing worse than having to clean up the kitchen afterwards! In fact, there are sites devoted to helping you find ways around that problem. One of these is Korean Rib Cooks , which has instructions on how to build an inflatable plate with a mirror mounted on it that helps you cook your meat using this method. Another site is The Ultimate Guide To K-BBQ Cooking , which outlines various cooking methods and all sorts of tips on how to avoid spills whilst cooking your own korean bbq.
2) It will take you ages! Over time, as you get better at making barbecue, you will find yourself spending more time preparing the meal than actually eating it. A quick way around this is to set up timers so that you can easily check the progress each time. Another alternative — but here I speak about myself — is to cook multiple versions of almost exactly the same dish so that if one isn’t too good I can make another one quickly (this is something I do regularly with chicken).
Korean BBQ in Richmond
The Korean BBQ in Richmond is one of those barbecue joints that seems like a good idea, but that never works out. You would think the name would be a good indicator of quality. But it’s not.
The restaurant has a great name, but the food is mediocre at best. The ribs are dry and fall apart when you bite into them, the bbq pork is dry and tasteless (it’s not so much that the sauce is unpleasant as it tastes similar to other sauces). The servers don’t seem to understand your orders; they take your order and then tell you they’ll get back to you when they get ready, then they don’t come back with your food. There are too many cooks on this staff — I wouldn’t have put my money on any of them even if I hadn’t already eaten there before.
The parking lot isn’t big enough for the number of cars parked there and there are no valet parking lots or metered street parking…so you end up standing at a nearby gas station or in front of a neighboring restaurant to pay for your food (which can take half an hour or more). The employees are all in their 20s/30s and none look like they have had any experience with barbecuing before (the meat is all frozen, no matter how much you cut it up, so you end up having to slice it into tiny bits).
So maybe I just don’t know what I’m talking about…but if we could all do things better than we do right now, we should try harder.
Top 3 Korean BBQ Restaurants in Richmond
Many of us are familiar with the idea of a “korean bbq”. It is a relatively new thing that has become increasingly popular in Richmond, and Richmond has one of the most diverse Korean markets in North America.
We have had the pleasure of visiting a number of these restaurants, but this list is not just about those we have been to. It will cover all the places we have heard about and been to since coming across the internet Korean bbq restaurants page in early 2011.
The best Korean BBQ places do things right (a meal for 2 at Daikaya [6388 Main St] starts around $25) and provide good service (the staff are attentive but not overly so). Some are chains and some are mom-and-pop operations; they all rely on quality ingredients and service.
Here’s our list:
Daikaya 6008 Main St / Richmond, VA – http://www.daikaya Richmond Bbq Restaurant 1728 Monument Ave / Richmond, VA – http://www.richmondbbq.com/ 1234 BBQ & Coffee 3511 Monument Ave / Richmond, VA – http://moybstrooktowne.com/south-side-bbq/ 13th Street BBQ 1712 W Main St / Richmond, VA – https://www.facebook.com/13thstreetbbq/ Southern BBQ Inn 715 8th St W Richmond, VA – https://www.facebook.com/southernbbighouse #richmond #richmondfood
Conclusion
Here is a list of both the best and worst of the most commonly asked questions I’ve received over the years.
Best:
Q: Do you have any advice for new entrepreneurs?
A: Get out there, get feedback, get a strong sense of what your end goal is and just do it. Don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you want to do. Find people who understand you and want to help. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you aren’t good enough, because that isn’t how it works. Just go for it.
Worst:
Q: I am trying to get into VC funding but it seems like there are too many red flags that my company isn’t worth much more than $100k. What should I do?
A: VCs want to invest in companies with high growth potential and low cash burn rates, not ones that will die in 2-3 years or so on the way to being a $10m company. If someone tells me they “really” want to invest in your company, I can’t say much more than that I hope they don’t live up to their promises (that’s not just a bad thing; it could be fatal). They might be right — but if not, then they aren’t going to invest in your company because they don’t see any value there worth valuing further than that one other thing they’re investing in at this point — and that’s a problem! Don’t make them have any expectations about your product; make them see potential in another market (maybe even someone else’s), where there are no competitors yet and where everyone wants what you offer (which is likely why the market is unmet). The best way to meet this problem would be for them to come back around with something better for when things really start paying off! That’s usually how things work out though!
As always, feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or if you’d like me to write a post specifically about something else!