Samdong Soba, a popular soba restaurant brand in Korea, expanded internationally by opening a U.S. branch. Instead of just growing on its own, the company aims to create a K-Soba Standard, offering a consistent Korean-style soba experience with the same taste and quality in all markets.
Founded in February 2020, Samdong Soba started as a small 12-table restaurant in Yongin, Korea. Despite providing only a cold soba bowl priced at ₩8,000 with no delivery service, it instantly gained nationwide attraction, making USD 200,000 (KRW 265 million) in sales monthly. This success in a non-central location proved the brand’s competitiveness.
Founder and CEO Jae-soo Pyo built the restaurant on the thought that the experience of dining is in the bowl served to each guest. With over 20 years of experience, he build a system focused on consistency, quality, and efficiency. Even during the pandemic, Samdong Soba consistantly to perform well and has since expanded to 105 locations across Korea, generating USD 50 million (KRW 80 billion) annually.
In the summer, some food stores see lines of 200-300 customers, making it one of leading restaurant brands in Korea.
Pyo’s experience in Japan aided him master traditional soba techniques, which he then adapted to suit Korean tastes. The brand, initially focused on cold soba, will introduce new hot udon dishes such as Nagoya Miso Nabe Udon and Kakiage Nabe Udon. This menu expansion focuses to prepare the brand for global growth by offering options for all seasons.