KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot has tapped into something bigger than an all-you-can-eat craving—a hunger for bold, hands-on dining experiences. Now, the brand’s rapid rise is reshaping how Americans think about full-service dining.
The brand was formed by four friends from differing backgrounds, but Victor Chow—vice president of KPOT’s parent company, Vertex Hospitality—says that the range in hospitality experience was beneficial. “We have people who are managing partners, and they work together and look at different new food trends in the market in the United States, specifically,” Chow says.
Together, the group decided that it was time to launch a combination of do-it-yourself Korean barbecue and simmering Asian hot pot. Chow says that in tandem with the ideals of serving “all-you-can-eat at a great price, a great bar, and a great environment,” KPOT was created.
- HQ: East Brunswick, New Jersey
- Year founded: 2018
- Cuisine: Korean BBQ
- Units: 120
- Founder/owner: Vertex Hospitality
The brand launched in 2018 in East Brunswick, New Jersey. “Since then, it’s been a rocket ship,” Chow says. “You usually don’t see full-service restaurants expand at this kind of pace.” In the past seven years, KPOT has grown to 120 locations.
The average KPOT location is 8,000 square feet, giving diners enough space to frequent the full-service bar and appetizer-stacked buffet table as the servers pass by with carts loaded with finely-sliced meats. For the past three years, the brand has opened 40 to 50 units annually. When Chow is asked about recently opened stores, he says, “We’ve opened up nine locations as of [March], but what I will say is, if you talk to me at the end of April, I have another 10 to 12 that I need to open.”
Vertex Hospitality also oversees Hook and Reel Cajun Seafood, Kinya Ramen, and Ugly Dumpling. Founded by Tony Wang in 2016, who remains as CEO, all three brands are relatively new on the scene but are experiencing heavy growth.
Chow joined Vertex three years ago, when KPOT was only at five locations. After Chow’s parents immigrated to America, they opened up multiple restaurants. “That’s the environment I grew up in,” he says. “I thought I would leave that, don’t get me wrong. So, my first job out of college was as an analyst on Wall Street and I’ve been blessed to have a very interesting and varied career where I worked at various startups, Volkswagen, investment banks, and such.” Chow’s post at Vertex marked his re-entry into the hospitality business.
KPOT has a more complicated setup due to its individual indoor grills and tableside hot pot cookers. For the brand, standardizing food and service quality is huge, especially considering its more than 100 current locations. Chow notes that the brand has specific guidelines for new KPOT franchisees to ensure that the dining experience is replicable. “Every location follows these parameters and procedures to make sure that everybody has a great time at KPOT,” says Chow, “because it could be their first experience, not just at a KPOT, but at a Korean barbecue or Asian hot pot place.”
At KPOT, diners receive a tablet to order on, and—depending on whether they want Korean barbecue, hot pot, or both—are able to select from a variety of marinated meats, soup bases, non-marinated proteins, vegetables, and desserts at ease. Ingredients are brought out raw or semi-cooked, as both hot pot and Korean barbecue are traditionally cooked tableside. “For us, and when I say us, for KPOT or for people or Asian American or Asian descent, Korean barbecue and hot pot are very communal,” says Chow. “It’s familial, and it’s something that is pretty standard and normal on the other side of the world.”
For those first-time customers in America, the option of cooking one’s own food may be a lot to take in. “This is something that’s not only a way to eat food, but it’s a part of a culture,” he says. “It’s part of a lifestyle that we wanted to sort of open ourselves up and share with the average American.”
Chow says that he refers to the serving staff as “sherpas,” assisting new customers as they metaphorically “climb the mountain” and navigate an exciting and perhaps unfamiliar cuisine or dining experience. In the same vein, Chow likens the all-you-can-eat aspect of the meal to an “interactive sport.”
The brand offers culinary innovation at every step of the dining process, and offers menu items for customers at every level, whether one is in the mood for French fries and chicken nuggets, garlicky soft tofu and pickled radish, or kimchi and Szechuan spiced ribeye.
The menu also offers a wide array of flavor combinations from across different countries in Asia. For example, KPOT’s soup bases range from Japanese miso soup to Korean seafood tofu broth to Thai tom yum. At the sauce bar, diners can craft their own marinades and dipping sauces to complement their meal, incorporating multiple options of spicy topping, oils, pre-made sauces, green onions, and garlic.
KPOT is currently in 35 states, with only one corporately-owned store—the brand’s location in Scarsdale, New York, which functions as a training store where new managers and franchisees are able to learn the ropes.
Chow believes that the brand’s sudden launch into success is due to timing. Right now, he says, “America and Americans are open to something that’s a little bit more interesting than a decent burger or a sandwich place. [KPOT] is a pretty daring idea.”
As KPOT continues to expand, so do the flavor palates of its diners. “We don’t want to be oversaturated,” says Chow, “but we do want to be everywhere that people want us to be in.”
“The reason why I’m so passionate about this job is because many of our franchisees would be first-time business owners,” Chow says. “Many of them are immigrants to this country, similar to my parents. If I could help somebody achieve that American dream, become a boss of their own small business, and have it make decent money, I felt that I did something good for the day.”
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