FSR September 2022

A lthough Covid-19 surges, labor shortages, and supply chain bottlenecks have persisted into 2022, this was arguably the first year since pre pandemic times when restaurants weren’t con tent to merely survive—they were once again pushing forward. This resurgence is being led, in no small part, by younger professionals in the indus try. From socially minded restaurateurs with do-bet ter missions to chefs celebrating their culinary roots to franchisees seizing growth opportunities, this year’s class of 40 under 40 Rising Stars is returning foodser vice to its rightful vibrancy. CHALLENGE RISING TO THE THESE 40 UNDER 40 RISING STARS ARE DRIVING RESTAURANTS INTO A BRIGHTER FUTURE BY NICOLE DUNCAN AND RACHEL PITTMAN

R I S I NG S TA R S

Joe Kim AGE: 39 FOUNDER, OWNER DAE GEE KOREAN BBQ

THE ENTREPRENEUR EXTRAORDINAIRE Joe Kim had no foodservice experience when he opened the first Dae Gee Korean BBQ in a Denver suburb 10 years ago. What he did have was a proven track record in the small business sector. “It’s a crazy story and every time I tell it, people are kind of blown away because when I first started, I’d never worked in a restaurant, never served, never bussed, never cooked in my life,” Kim says. “I grew up in small businesses, whether it was a market, gas station, or retail shops. I did a dry cleaners right before the restaurant for about eight years, and so I’ve always been business-savvy. … I knew that aspect, and I knew cus tomer service.” He describes his mindset as, jump in now and figure things out along the way. But this self-assessment does not give Kim his due credit for shaping a brand that, from the very start, had the MORE t

32

FSRMAGAZINE .COM

SEPTEMBER 2022