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“The label of being the son of Samwon Garden always made me challenge myself. We have been doing a variety of food businesses, but now Restaurant Meals (RMR) will become the trend. “Wouldn’t it be innovative if you could enjoy a restaurant gourmet experience in the comfort of your own home?”
Park Young-sik (45), CEO of SG Dinehill and Caviar, is the youngest son among Samwon Garden founder and chairman Park Soo-nam. Samwon Garden, which opened in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu in 1976, led the ‘ㅇㅇ Garden’ trend in Korea as the origin of ‘high-end restaurants that serve grilled meat’.
With the great success of Samwon Garden, Chairman Park Soo-nam became a celebrity. Although he is not as widely known as his father, President Park Young-sik is also called a young businessman full of ‘challenge and passion’ in the restaurant industry. We met him as he continues to take on new challenges and heard about the future of Korea’s restaurant industry.
Samwon Garden operated with the family… “I’ve been into the restaurant industry since I was young.”
-I understand that you have been involved in various restaurant businesses for over 20 years since joining Samwon Garden in 2004. What motivated you to get into the restaurant industry?
I think the restaurant business came naturally to me as I ran Samwon Garden with my family since I was young. I could have done something else after graduating from college, but I was interested in the restaurant industry and thought I could enjoy it. I have tried various businesses for over 20 years and have had successes and failures, but these days, I think of running a restaurant business as a calling.
-He is called an ‘innovator’ or ‘heretic’ in the industry as he tries various things related to restaurants. Please introduce the business you have done so far.
Representative examples include Italian restaurant Blooming Garden, steak restaurant Butcher’s Cut, and aged sirloin restaurant Two Horn Sirloin. The above businesses have been loved by consumers since their launch and are operating smoothly. In particular, it gained public recognition by launching Butcher’s Cut, the first in the industry to apply ‘dry aging’ to steak. In addition, we introduced ‘wine corkage’ for the first time in Korea, creating a culture of bringing alcoholic beverages to the establishment and enjoying a meal.
I believe that I have survived in the industry for over 20 years thanks to making fresh attempts that others did not. I bravely tried new things with slightly different ideas than others, and although there were times when I failed, I achieved good results overall. We plan to continue innovation by taking on various challenges in the future.
Appearance of popular chefs… “The RMR business created through collaboration will emerge as a future food source for the restaurant industry.”
-You are leading the launch of RMR (Restaurant Meal Replacement) products in Korea. What is RMR? What is the difference from HMR (Home Meal Replacement)?
RMR is a product developed to commercialize representative menu items from famous restaurants so that consumers can easily enjoy them at home. Currently, it holds exclusive IP (intellectual property rights) for 152 famous restaurants at home and abroad, including Samwon Garden, Sukseokdo, Neungdo, and Family Hall, and is commercializing the signature menus of those establishments. Rather than just borrowing the chef’s name to create a product, we are focusing on making the food as delicious as eating at an actual restaurant.
I think the reason why the RMR products we launched are so popular recently is because they taste good. By focusing on the taste, which is the essence of food, consumer satisfaction is high, and a virtuous cycle is being achieved where consumers who have experienced RMR come directly to the business. Currently, we believe that RMR is evolving into a conduit that connects restaurant businesses and consumers, and as the product becomes more popular, it is expected to have a positive impact on the development of the restaurant industry.
Even though he is not as famous as his father, he is considered an ‘icon of challenge’ in the industry.
-He is considered the most successful businessman among the second generation in the restaurant industry. What are the factors of success?
It wasn’t just success. I’ve failed quite a few times over the past 20 years. There were many businesses that failed, and there were times when things were going well but then collapsed. Then, when things went well, the evaluation always followed, “It was good because he was Samwon Garden’s son.” Every time, I got discouraged, so I worked harder than others. Also, it is difficult to do well in the restaurant business if you are stubborn. We must respond flexibly and act quickly. It is important to understand what consumers want and respond appropriately in line with the times. I think collaboration with chefs will also be important in the future. Consumers these days really value taste. Even if you make just one product, if you make it more delicious and of high quality, it will sell well. Thanks to our long-standing efforts, we have become the company with the largest number of chefs’ IPs. Metizen, which began service in May 2022, is also part of this. Metizen is an online platform that aims to ‘share delicious moments together’. 220 editors, including famous chefs, are introducing and sharing flavors through writing, video, and social media. We plan to expand our business in the future.
-He looks very experienced as he has over 20 years of experience in the restaurant business. What are your future plans?
We will focus on three things that are currently being developed: business management, diversification of the RMR business, and strengthening of Metizen promotion. The restaurant industry is like a living organism, so you always have to be on your guard and manage it, but as it combines various businesses, it creates synergy effects and is evolving in a positive direction. The ultimate goal is to become a successful restaurant businessman with upward growth in sales and the ability and consistency to take good care of employees.