Here's why a perfectly popular Toronto restaurant just overhauled its entire concept
A Toronto restaurant that was so popular when it opened that its team had to issue an apology is officially no more, and in its stead, a new concept has arisen.
When restaurant owners eschew one concept in favour of a new one, it's easy to assume that the move happened because the original idea wasn't working. In the case of North York's Nakwon Kisa, though, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Founded by the team behind Korean chain Nak Won, which boasts locations in Markham, North York and Richmond Hill, Nakwon Kisa earned immediate attention from diners in the city thanks to its scant menu, which offered just one special that changed daily, alongside an unlimited salad bar and soup and rice refills.
It was a concept unlike virtually any other in the city, and people took notice, causing the restaurant to become so popular so quickly that the team had to impose daily customer limits so as not to run out of food within hours.
But now, it's gone, and in its place, the same team has opened a new concept called Bunsik84, which soft-opened on Friday, Sept. 18.
So why, with a concept that's already enjoying plenty of popularity, would the team opt to shake things up? A representative from the restaurant tells blogTO that it all comes down to better feeding its customers' appetites.
"We originally opened as Nakwon Kisa Restaurant with the idea of bringing a Korean-style comfort food buffet to Toronto," they explain, but "over time, we learned a lot from our customers about what they enjoyed most — especially the more casual, interactive, and customizable parts of the experience."
Armed with that knowledge, they endeavoured to create a new restaurant that leans more heavily into Korean bunsik, or street food.
While the two restaurants share DNA and the core purpose of keeping Toronto fed with their fill of approachable Korean comfort food, the experience at Bunsik84 is a considerably more interactive one than its forebear.
"Guests can build their own tteokbokki with different sauces, spice levels, and toppings, make their own ramyun and rice balls, and enjoy rotating items like weekly boneless K-chicken and gimbap," the representative explains.
And so far, it seems like it's been working out for them.
"So far, the response has been very encouraging," the team member tells blogTO. "Guests seem especially excited about being able to customize their own tteokbokki and ramyun, and we've been happy to see people having fun exploring the different stations."
Since Bunsik84 is, quite literally, still in its infancy, there's no telling yet whether it'll flourish like Nakwon Kisa, or falter, but, I guess if it doesn't work out — or even if it does — they can always switch it up.
Bunsik84 is located at 4895 Yonge St.
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