The Korean BBQ food truck chain Cupbop's food truck, overlooking Salt Lake City, Utah, is parked in this 2023 photo. Courtesy of Cupbop

Every morning at 9 a.m., Song Jung-hun and his crew of the Korean BBQ food truck Cupbop, known across Utah as the "crazy food truck guys," announce the location of their bright yellow food truck on social media. By lunchtime, hundreds line up, eager to grab a cup of Korean barbecue over rice.

The venue becomes more than just a plain food truck but a place of fun — full of young energy, dance and music. Here, crews shout "cup!" and delighted customers chant "bop!," exchanging high fives freely.

In 2013, Song launched Cupbop with a $25,000 second-hand trailer in Salt Lake City, drawing inspiration from Korea's speedy street food scene, popular for shallow-pocketed students preparing for civil service exams. The catchphrase "SHHH... JUST EAT!" captures the essence of Cupbop, which offers a hearty mix of Korean barbecue beef, pork, glass noodles and vegetables served over rice in a bowl.

The brand's name, Cupbop, directly translates to "bap in a cup," where "bap" is the Korean word for steamed rice, a staple similar to bread in Western diets.

People line up for Cupbop at the BYU Football Stadium in Provo, Utah, in this 2019 photo. Courtesy of Cupbop

Song said its reputation as a fun and cool place born out of necessity.

"On the first day, we had this huge crowd and sold out all 200 portions within three or four hours. Then, from the next day, we had no customers, and we couldn't just sit idle on the trailer that we invested all we had. So all we crews started to shout and play games on the trailer," he said during a video interview with The Korea Times on April 17.

"People started to give a look, so we decided to take it up a notch. We tuned up the music and started dancing. The truck shook up and down, and people curiously peeked inside. Soon, one person joined, then five and then a line of 200 people formed, stretching as far as the eye could see. It was electrifying."

The videos of the Cupbop crew playing and dancing on the food truck instantly gained attention from people and started being shared on social media.

Localization, engagement are keys

Rock Bop, or fried chicken over rice, is Cupbop's bestseller. Courtesy of Cupbop

According to Song, back then, many people in Utah didn't even know about Korea, and they barely knew kimchi. It was before all the buzz about Psy's "Gangnam Style," BTS and "Squid Game."

Recognizing the importance of localizing its offerings, Cupbop provides sauces ranging from level 1, sweet, to level 10, dubbed "fire in the hole," catering to American palates unfamiliar with Korean spices.

"The base of Cupbop is 'hansik' (Korean food). But I hid the authenticity of hansik behind the familiar American-style sauces, which include elements of Mexican and Vietnamese sauces. Americans first eat something familiar, then they dig deeper and finally get to meet hansik," Song said.

Cupbop's pork BBQ, inspired by "jeyuk bokkeum" (Korean stir-fried pork belly), has "gochujang" (red chili paste), but other sauces do not include the popular Korean condiment.

Song said his menus are "a perfect blend of American and Korean flavors."

Its bestseller is Rock Bop, served with Korean-style chicken nuggets.

"Nuggets look like rocks — so I named it Rock Bop. They are a bit sweeter with a hint of spice in the background than Korean version chicken nuggets," he said.

Another key to his success was his efforts to break the stereotype that Asian restaurants offer poor customer service and don't engage with customers, he said.

Song wanted to tell his customers that he and his crew not only sell good food but also are friends who can laugh together.

"We are people with unfamiliar faces, unfamiliar accents and unfamiliar cultures. But, I wanted to show our customers that we are friendly Asian friends who can high-five, put arms around, dance and take pictures together — even though we don't speak the language very well," he said adding that this became "fun Cupbop culture."

Song Jung-hun, center, founder of the Korean BBQ food truck franchise Cupbop, poses with company COO Kwon Dok, left, and Yeiri Kim, marketing director. Courtesy of Cupbop

His unique marketing method worked. Riding on its popularity on social media, Cupbop continued to grow and now runs some 60 brick-and-mortar stores within the United States as of this month. It also has expanded internationally, with some 200 stores in Indonesia, ranked second placed in the country's snack category and is about to close deals to operate in Dubai, UAE and Canada. The company was estimated to worth 140 billion won ($102 million) within the U.S. last year, when the number of stores hit 30.

Riding the K-wave

The 45-year-old entrepreneur said the current Korean food craze across the globe is a great opportunity, but Korean restauranteurs in the U.S. — mostly running small-sized single stores — were largely ill prepared for this golden opportunity. He and his crew are one of those few who have been working hard to prevent that from happening.

"Back in the early days of our business, the only readily available soy sauces for bulk orders were Japanese and Chinese. We started this venture wanting people to experience authentic Korean flavors, but ironically, we had to make bulgogi with those very same non-Korean options," he said.

"Without the support of large distributors for Korean ingredients and a system for effectively branding Korean cuisine, it is a free-for-all. Japanese and Chinese entrepreneurs, sensing an opportunity, open large Korean restaurants, churning out questionable versions of Korean dishes such as tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) and kimchi, passing them off as legitimate Korean foods."

But thanks to efforts of Song and rising popularity of Korean food, Cupbop is now in a position to ask distribution giant Sysco to add Korean food brands to its product codes.

"For seven or eight years, Sempio has tried to add its soy sauce to Sysco's online ordering catalog but failed. Then we told the distributor we needed Sempio's soy sauce for our Cupbop. With our growing buying power, we successfully added the Korean soy sauce to its ordering system, followed by other items like CJ's mandu (dumpling), Ottogi's mayonnaise, Orion's Turtle Chips, Binggrae's Samanco (fish-shaped ice cream with red bean filling) and Lotte Chilsung's Milkis soda," he said.

Customers buy Cupbop during a food truck festival in Denver, Colorado, on May 18, 2019. The company achieved the highest sales among food trucks that day. Courtesy of Cupbop

"There's a growing trend of people who watch Korean dramas and then seek out Korean food. This favorable trend is like a strong, favorable wind that can propel Korean food into the spotlight."

Looking at talented young people in the Korean food industry today, opening over 55,000 chicken restaurants and competing fiercely within the country, Song encourages them to venture out for bigger pie and grab this golden opportunity.

"Before coming to the U.S., my only talent was dancing. I was a failing student and barely spoke English. Unlike my friends from wealthy families, I had to work part-time after arriving in Utah. Despite these challenges, I started my own business with a much smaller amount of money than what's typical for Korean entrepreneurs. I've been running this business with the belief that failures are actually new opportunities to take a step forward," he said.

"I really want to say language is not that much of a problem. I wish many more aspiring young people would challenge and seek out bigger markets because the market is wide open waiting for us now."

Song gave the example of Chipotle Mexican Grill, a relatively new entrant in the U.S. market that opened in 1993 and rapidly expanded into a colossal business with a market value exceeding 100 trillion won.

"The restaurant chain is over 50 times more worth than, say, Korea's Shinsegae with market value of less than 2 trillon won. This shows how massive this American food market is. I wish young Koreans dream big dreams. The worst that can happen is that you close your doors, but you will gain much more than that. It is a valuable experience. The self-esteem and confidence you gain is beyond words."