Hanwha chairman's 3rd son flips burgers in Hong Kong

Head of Strategic Management at Hanwha Galleria Kim Dong-sun spreads sauce on tinfoil at a Five Guys restaurant in Hong Kong, April 25. Courtesy of Hanwha Galleria

Company to open 1st Five Guys store in southern Seoul next month

By Kim Jae-heun

Kim Dong-sun, head of strategic management at Hanwha Galleria and the third son of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn, visited a Five Guys restaurant in Hong Kong recently to try making burgers himself a month prior to the launch of the fast food franchise in Seoul, the company said Tuesday.

It is the first time Kim has participated in such activity. His trip reflects his willingness to provide better service to local customers in Seoul by further enhancing his understanding of the brand through practical experience.

“I was able to learn why Five Guys products are called 'premium handmade burgers' throughout my field practice. A lot of effort is needed to make one burger, more than I knew before,” Kim said after making a burger at the burger restaurant.

“Kim is not obliged to undergo field experience, but as the person who is in charge of launching Five Guys in Seoul, he wanted to try making burgers himself to provide the best-quality service to Korean customers,” a Hanwha Galleria official said.

During his field experience, Kim wore a red uniform like the other Five Guys staff, cooked patties and mixed toppings.

He showed particular interest in the cooking process for burger patties. Five Guys is well-known for making fresh patties every day. It does not have microwaves, timers or refrigerators in the kitchen.

“It was very impressive to see how staffers control the quality of the patty by applying sauce in one direction in the same amount, consistently,” Kim said. “We will pay the same special attention to maintaining the same patty quality in Korean restaurants.”

Before Kim's visit, major Korean staffers including the manager of the first Five Guys restaurant to open in Seoul went through six weeks of training in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is home to Five Guys' Asia-Pacific headquarters, where tourists from all over the world visit.

Korea is the sixth market to open a Five Guys restaurant in Asia, following Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Malaysia and Macao.