Sohn dreams of mom and pop chicken store

Fashion model and ceo of Sohn Sohn Grilled Chicken restaurant Sohn Min-ho / Courtesy of Sohn Min-ho (Olive Magazine)

By Kim Jae-heun

Sohn Min-ho, 29, has been modeling for 10 years and he has no doubt that modeling is God's calling for him. Lately he came to hear his inner voice about a humble profession that he'd like to pursue during the rest of his life _ that of being an owner of a small chicken restaurant.

His dream has since gone specific. Sohn wants a mom-and-pop chicken store, rather than a franchise having nationwide eatery chains.

"I did not live an ordinary life when I was young," said Sohn during the interview with The Korea Times at Sohn Sohn Grilled Chicken restaurant in Doota Mall, central Seoul, Friday. "I had to help my parents financially, working part times jobs. While working at a chicken restaurant, I could not help envying the old married couple working together happily. Since then, it was my dream to own a chicken restaurant and live a normal life with my wife."

With all the money he earned as a model in eight years, Sohn opened a shop in Itaewon in Dec. 2015.

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He took the "peri-peri" sauce from the global chicken franchise Nando's restaurant and spread them on his grilled chicken, expecting to draw a lot of foreign customers in the "Western Town" of Korea.

However, he realized that most of the visitors to his restaurant were his fans, who came to see him and maybe try the chicken since they are there. But many Koreans did not like the strong taste of peri-peri sauce and Sohn decided to develop an easy and unique flavor that can appeal to local customers.

The most popular sauce at Sohn Sohn Grilled Chicken, "apple garlic" now sells on 90 percent of all orders and the store has reached sales of 50 chickens a day in Itaewon. He says it is a large amount considering his restaurant is small. The restaurant sells other sauces like "hot chili" and "herb salt."

This year, he moved his restaurant to Doota Mall in Jung-gu, central Seoul, where he expects to see more global visitors in one of the busiest tourist attractions in the country.

"We grill our chicken, not fry them. I started the business because I like chicken and I don't get fed up with the food even if I eat it every day. I eat chicken at my restaurant at least three times a week to see if the taste has changed.

"If I have no modeling schedule, I am in the restaurant all day. I try to be there at 15 to 20 times a month because I still have many fans coming from Thailand and Japan to only see me. I don't want to disappoint them," said Sohn.

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