RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Concept Kitchen redefines food service with myriad menus
The food at Motown Pizza of Songtan in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Shuttle Delivery
In the rapidly evolving landscape of Korea's food and beverage industry, a wave of innovation is reshaping the way we eat. During the COVID-19 pandemic, food delivery apps experienced a dramatic surge in growth as consumers looked for contactless dining solutions. The convenience, safety and diverse culinary options offered by these apps became essential in meeting the increased demand for at-home dining and brought about new norms for how consumers access and enjoy their favorite meals.
In response to this shift, Korea saw the emergence of non-traditional restaurants, or ghost kitchens, which operate solely for delivery and takeout, devoid of the traditional brick-and-mortar dine-in spaces. Ghost kitchens, also known as virtual or cloud kitchens, as a concept, are still relatively novel, with the earliest versions appearing in the early 2010s. This approach not only capitalizes on the rising demand for convenient dining options but also enables chefs and entrepreneurs to produce a diverse array of cuisines and streamline operations for an evolving market.
In Pyeongtaek’s Sinjang-dong neighborhood, just outside the front gate of Osan Air Base, Concept Kitchen is one such trailblazer. Husband-and-wife founders Inae Jang and Zachary Marble opened Concept Kitchen in January 2021, during the throes of the pandemic.
The modus operandi for Inae and Zach is pretty straightforward: “We are making the delicious comfort food we felt people in the area were missing from home, and we wanted to reimagine the conventional restaurant by producing multiple cuisine types (or concepts) from the same kitchen,” they said.
In the days since its founding, Concept Kitchen has established its own brand of culinary innovation and embarked on a mission to redefine the local food scene with a diverse and dynamic lineup of menus, all meticulously developed for the market it serves. Today, Concept Kitchen operates eight exciting restaurant concepts.
The food at The Rice Bowl in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Shuttle Delivery
Its inaugural concept, Fortune Cookie, is an American-Chinese concept that serves classics like General Tso's Chicken, Orange Chicken and some ridiculously tasty Crab Rangoons. The Rice Bowl, Concept Kitchen's second brand, makes delicious rice bowls featuring a whole smorgasbord of meats, vegetables and its signature "pour-over" sauces. The Wing Spot, the third concept, specializes in lightly breaded chicken wings and tenders that are served in a variety of enticing flavors, while Mac Daddy's, the gourmet mac 'n cheese brand, boasts inventive combinations like the Daddy's Brisket Mac and the Buffalo MacChicken.
Concept Kitchen's fifth brand, Wingman, serves up spicy breaded chicken wings and tenders along with a gang of premium craft beer options. Doggy Style, the sixth concept, sells Zachary’s favorite hometown Detroit Coney Dogs along with other regionally inspired hot dogs and sausages. Their most recent concept, Casa Del Jefe, features the vibrant flavors of Mexico with succulent Carnitas, Chorizo and Pollo Asado Tacos, along with Chopped Brisket Tacos and a lineup of tantalizing Burrito Bowls.
The food of Casa Del Jefe in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Shuttle Delivery
Their most popular concept, Motown Pizza, pays homage to Detroit-style pizza's birthplace, Buddy’s Pizza, where square deep-dish pan pizzas were first made. From its inception in March 2022, Motown Pizza operated as a delivery-only concept, but in February 2023, it became their first traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant. They said, “We wanted to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant because our pizza was well-received locally (and) we knew there wasn’t a pizzeria serving Detroit-style pizza in this area. On top of that, we loved the idea of having a pizza pub so we could pair our Detroit-style pizza with local craft beers from the best breweries around Korea. We thoroughly love being part of the Songtan and military community.”
Motown Pizza also has an excellent selection of craft beers from breweries like Magpie Brewing Co., Gorilla Brewing Co., Chillhops Brewing Co, White Crow Brewing, Craft Bros Brewing Company, Alecrew Brewing and many more. To celebrate this holy matrimony of pizza and beer, they delved even further into the craft beer scene, by collaborating with Chillhops on a signature beer called Slush Fund, which is available at the restaurant and select bottle shops throughout the country.
To efficiently streamline the ordering and delivery process, Concept Kitchen listed its concepts on the Shuttle Delivery app, which enables its customers to place pickup and delivery orders with just a few taps. “When creating the workflow at Concept Kitchen, we designed all facets of the operation to be as seamless and digitized as possible. To operate eight brands in one facility everything needs to be extremely organized. We integrated a backend software solution, called Otter, that gets tickets from all eight brands to one printer,” Inae said. “Integrating the software was a game changer and provides us with data we use to make decisions about our menus.”
When asked what’s next for Concept Kitchen, Zachary said, “We will continue to create new and exciting concepts while moving into the brand licensing space. Concept Kitchen will look to license their brands to other restaurant owners looking to leverage their kitchens to create extra revenue via delivery.”
Concept Kitchen is a culinary juggernaut with loads of great restaurant concepts, each promising a unique and flavorful dining adventure. Its strengths lie not only in the innovative menus but also in the seamless integration of technology. The potential for growth and sustainability in Korea’s competitive food industry is evident, given its adaptability and ongoing commitment to producing good food.
The full menu lineup from Concept Kitchen is available daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. They offer pickup and delivery services exclusively on the Shuttle Delivery app and shuttledelivery.co.kr. You can skip the queue, pay online and place pickup or delivery orders using Shuttle in the greater Songtan area.
Mark Boesch is co-founder and chief marketing officer of Shuttle Delivery.