Dkore, which manages well-known Korean restaurant brand Bukchang-dong Soondubu, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Thai company Kimju Food Co. The partnership will allow Dkore to expand its overseas restaurant business in Thailand. However, this latest agreement is not Dkore's first foray into the international market. In 2009, the company entered the Taiwan market and successfully opened 21 stores serving Juan tofu, the Taiwanese version of Bukchang-dong Soondubu's famous stew. Kimju, on the other hand, operates a food processing plant and a franchise brand specialising in Korean-style grilled meat.
The two companies plan to popularise Korean home-cooked dishes, including the soondubu stew, as the Korean wave continues to gain popularity in Thailand. Images and recognition of Korean products and cuisine are becoming prevalent.
Dkore said this is not the first time Bukchang-dong Soondubu has entered the Thai market. In 2005, the first store in Thailand opened in Bangkok via an international franchise agreement with a local Korean. The Bangkok branch, now closed, was in business for more than ten years. Dkore said the restaurant could not formulate a localisation strategy amid the fast-changing tastes of consumers. Thus, the partnership with a local company such as Kimju is vital.
Now that there is an MOU for the Thai market, the plan is to establish a competitive business model for the local market through detailed analysis, the two companies concluded. (Image from Dkore)
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