영어공부?? 한번 읽어보세요!
Dominion English School에서 아시안 마케팅과 복지담당을 하는 Louise Kinred 씨와 그의 학생이었던 민현경씨의 이야기가 실린 "뉴질랜드 헤럴드"지의 기사내용입니다.
Bread and butter venture finds a niche in Korea
02.02.2002
Selling sandwiches in a Seoul sidestreet is an unlikely way to business success, as GRAHAM REID discovers.
Eating options are plentiful in Asia, particularly cheap ones. And in the South Korean capital Seoul, many main roads and sidestreets are lined at night with stalls selling hot, cheap drinks and what we might call fast food.
A large appetite can be satisfied here for less than $10.
Upstairs or two flights down, there are also a thousand other options for coffee, food, beer and the local liquor soju.
It is a courageous person, then, who would want to go into the food business in the fifth-largest city in the world - especially if you are not selling traditional Korean fare high on the spice count.
But in a small sidestreet between Kyongbokkung Palace and the busy thoroughfare of Jongro-ga, is the unpromisingly named The Bar - a small, elegantly designed place specialising in sandwiches.
Located between a mandu (dumpling) shop and a small convenience store, The Bar's doorway is small but a considerable number of Koreans and a few expat Kiwis working in the nearby consular office make their way inside.
New Zealand magazines and the Herald's Viva section lie on the counters. Kiwi music filters through the speaker system and mustards and pickles from Auckland's Delmaines are key ingredients in the gourmet sandwiches that sell for about $14.
The Kiwi connection is because one of the women co-owners of the two-year-old business is Louise Kinred, Asian marketing manager and student welfare officer at Dominion English Schools' Auckland office.
Through her position at the language school she met Mrs Hyun Kyung Min, who brought an art exhibition to Auckland and during the course of her week ate breakfast daily at a coffee and sandwich shop.
Mrs Min liked the concept and on her return to Seoul she started looking for a location. She chose a street near consular buildings, the art district of Insa-dong and the Sejong Cultural Centre, and with heavy foot traffic.
"Then she said she needed to come down to New Zealand to learn to make sandwiches," says Louise Kinred, "and asked me if I could find someone to teach her.
"She saw gourmet sandwiches as something very different for Korea because sandwiches there are pre-packaged and full of coleslaw and tuna and just a soggy mess.
"The bread, however, is good. Sandwiches are also easy and can be made on the spot.
"I wrote back and said, 'I've made sandwiches all my life and I'll come to Seoul and teach you.' And then I thought if I was going to put time and effort into it I should be involved."
So Louise Kinred invested and now frequently flies to Korea with her bags full of tantalising ingredients.
(Taking food through customs is no problem "because they don't want to get into a conversation with a foreigner".)
Establishing the business was relatively easy, says Louise Kinred, although as is usual in many Asian cities, there are occasional problems with corrupt officials.
Getting the quality ingredients is also an on-going problem, "which explains my excess baggage".
Before joining Dominion six years ago, Louise Kinred had her own fashion shop for 22 years called Zou Zou, which started life in O'Connell St then moved to High St.
After becoming burned out from frontline retailing, Louise Kinred, who has had a long association with Japan, moved into the language school. But retailing was still in her blood so she welcomed the chance to get into the venture.
The Bar might be ideally located but "nobody can tell me what the building was before we gutted it. It might have been a little brothel - it opened at midnight".
Designed by two Italian-trained Korean architects, The Bar has clean and simple lines yet seats only 16. Originally there were five partners with Mrs Min as manager and majority shareholder, but the two women who work there have also become part of the company.
"The way Korean business works it is far better to have [employees] involved taking some responsibility."
The success of the venture has largely been due to location and Mrs Min's connections through her arts promotion business.
"Most of the customers work for international companies and have lived or worked overseas so they understand the concept.
"And we're not just selling a sandwich, we're selling an experience. A lot of young Korean people want to impress their foreign visitors and so bring them in.
"We have a lot of contacts through the arts, like singers, artists, sculptors and photographers. That's the circle she [Mrs Min] mixes in so all those people have gravitated to The Bar."
Among their regulars are the Dutch ambassador and the editor of the Korean edition of Elle - the latter chose it as the best place to eat in a Seoul restaurant guide. It has also been featured in a high-profile architecture magazine
The small scale of The Bar has been a feature of its appeal. After 6 pm it becomes an intimate wine bar offering snacks, beer and French and Italian wines. They also do catering for the nearby embassies and host private functions.
Louise Kinred, who has only basic conversational Korean, says they are now looking for another location for a similar business.
"I love Korea. The people are fantastic. They are strong and have a great heart."
And The Bar "is so much fun".
<뉴질랜드 헤럴드 발췌>
Dominion English School에서 아시안 마케팅과 복지담당을 하는 Louise Kinred 씨와 그의 학생이었던 민현경씨의 이야기가 실린 "뉴질랜드 헤럴드"지의 기사내용입니다.
Bread and butter venture finds a niche in Korea
02.02.2002
Selling sandwiches in a Seoul sidestreet is an unlikely way to business success, as GRAHAM REID discovers.
Eating options are plentiful in Asia, particularly cheap ones. And in the South Korean capital Seoul, many main roads and sidestreets are lined at night with stalls selling hot, cheap drinks and what we might call fast food.
A large appetite can be satisfied here for less than $10.
Upstairs or two flights down, there are also a thousand other options for coffee, food, beer and the local liquor soju.
It is a courageous person, then, who would want to go into the food business in the fifth-largest city in the world - especially if you are not selling traditional Korean fare high on the spice count.
But in a small sidestreet between Kyongbokkung Palace and the busy thoroughfare of Jongro-ga, is the unpromisingly named The Bar - a small, elegantly designed place specialising in sandwiches.
Located between a mandu (dumpling) shop and a small convenience store, The Bar's doorway is small but a considerable number of Koreans and a few expat Kiwis working in the nearby consular office make their way inside.
New Zealand magazines and the Herald's Viva section lie on the counters. Kiwi music filters through the speaker system and mustards and pickles from Auckland's Delmaines are key ingredients in the gourmet sandwiches that sell for about $14.
The Kiwi connection is because one of the women co-owners of the two-year-old business is Louise Kinred, Asian marketing manager and student welfare officer at Dominion English Schools' Auckland office.
Through her position at the language school she met Mrs Hyun Kyung Min, who brought an art exhibition to Auckland and during the course of her week ate breakfast daily at a coffee and sandwich shop.
Mrs Min liked the concept and on her return to Seoul she started looking for a location. She chose a street near consular buildings, the art district of Insa-dong and the Sejong Cultural Centre, and with heavy foot traffic.
"Then she said she needed to come down to New Zealand to learn to make sandwiches," says Louise Kinred, "and asked me if I could find someone to teach her.
"She saw gourmet sandwiches as something very different for Korea because sandwiches there are pre-packaged and full of coleslaw and tuna and just a soggy mess.
"The bread, however, is good. Sandwiches are also easy and can be made on the spot.
"I wrote back and said, 'I've made sandwiches all my life and I'll come to Seoul and teach you.' And then I thought if I was going to put time and effort into it I should be involved."
So Louise Kinred invested and now frequently flies to Korea with her bags full of tantalising ingredients.
(Taking food through customs is no problem "because they don't want to get into a conversation with a foreigner".)
Establishing the business was relatively easy, says Louise Kinred, although as is usual in many Asian cities, there are occasional problems with corrupt officials.
Getting the quality ingredients is also an on-going problem, "which explains my excess baggage".
Before joining Dominion six years ago, Louise Kinred had her own fashion shop for 22 years called Zou Zou, which started life in O'Connell St then moved to High St.
After becoming burned out from frontline retailing, Louise Kinred, who has had a long association with Japan, moved into the language school. But retailing was still in her blood so she welcomed the chance to get into the venture.
The Bar might be ideally located but "nobody can tell me what the building was before we gutted it. It might have been a little brothel - it opened at midnight".
Designed by two Italian-trained Korean architects, The Bar has clean and simple lines yet seats only 16. Originally there were five partners with Mrs Min as manager and majority shareholder, but the two women who work there have also become part of the company.
"The way Korean business works it is far better to have [employees] involved taking some responsibility."
The success of the venture has largely been due to location and Mrs Min's connections through her arts promotion business.
"Most of the customers work for international companies and have lived or worked overseas so they understand the concept.
"And we're not just selling a sandwich, we're selling an experience. A lot of young Korean people want to impress their foreign visitors and so bring them in.
"We have a lot of contacts through the arts, like singers, artists, sculptors and photographers. That's the circle she [Mrs Min] mixes in so all those people have gravitated to The Bar."
Among their regulars are the Dutch ambassador and the editor of the Korean edition of Elle - the latter chose it as the best place to eat in a Seoul restaurant guide. It has also been featured in a high-profile architecture magazine
The small scale of The Bar has been a feature of its appeal. After 6 pm it becomes an intimate wine bar offering snacks, beer and French and Italian wines. They also do catering for the nearby embassies and host private functions.
Louise Kinred, who has only basic conversational Korean, says they are now looking for another location for a similar business.
"I love Korea. The people are fantastic. They are strong and have a great heart."
And The Bar "is so much fun".
<뉴질랜드 헤럴드 발췌>
0개의 댓글