Why change name?

It is never easy to change name; especially after a few years, people start to attach to it. We are not just talking about customers. We are also talking about  people like us who work in the restaurant.

The first reaction is denial. “Why change?”

Yes, we asked ourselves “why change when nothing is broken?”

If you are new to us, Fresh Bulggogi is only 2 years old. Fresh Bulggogi is owned by the same company that owns Seoul Garden.

Seoul Garden has been around since 1983. It is a very recognisable brand in Singapore appealing across all age groups; from students to families to young working adults.

Fresh Bulggogi sells almost the same food as Seoul Garden. Grilled and Hot Pot or some may know it as “steamboat”. People recognise Seoul Garden as a D-I-Y buffet; Fresh Bulggogi, which is new, serves ala-carte menu, but still Korean-styled.

Not many people recognize Fresh Bulggogi because there is only one outlet in Singapore and it was located at Changi Airport’s Terminal 2.

People recognize Seoul Garden because it has been around for many years and it has many outlets in Singapore – over 10 outlets.

The management feels that to grow a strong and recognisable brand in Asia, a simple name should be adopted. What’s best than growing up from an established brand name.

The management feels that it is extremely effective if we grow an extended brand, taking advantage of the established parent name.

Going along with Fresh Bulggogi can be a long, tenuous and lonely journey. It will take many years to grow the brand. We don’t have that luxury of the time. To grow Fresh Bulggogi overseas is taking a huge risk because the brand name is new.

To grow Seoul Garden overseas should be easier because the brand name is established. Our overseas partners are more confident to invest in Seoul Garden than Fresh Bulggogi.

There are also reasons for Hot Pot name being so specific. The first one is more product-driven. We are going to focus on the hot pot than grill. As of now, we have Miso, Kimchi Jjiagae and Ginseng Chicken soup base. In the future, we will probably have more soup bases. This is a scalable idea.

The second reason is that we will be grilling the meat items in the kitchen instead of grilling by the customers themselves.

The answer is strictly marketing. It serves as a form of personalised service. In most Korean restaurant, grilling is personalised by the restaurant staffs. By doing that, it differentiates Hot Pot from the Buffet. It is positioned as some what more premium than the mass market Seoul Garden Buffet. Having premium items like Salmon Sashimi and Wagyu Beef says a lot of the positioning Seoul Garden Hot Pot is taking.