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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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endofthewor1d
Joined: 01 Apr 2003
Location: the end of the wor1d.
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 Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 6:58 pm Post subject: |
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| superdave wrote: |
firstly, i think a small bar that appears to be run by a foreigner is a good idea. you'll get customers who think it's a novelty ... but then they'll come back if the service is good.
i also like your idea of getting away from the restaurant and bar districts ... |
thanks for the encouragement. but i'm not really getting away from the restaurant and bar districts. in fact, i'm trying to find a location right in the restaurant and bar district of the town i live in. it just so happens that that town's bar and restaurant district is pretty lame.
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as for your logo, if you're interested in getting it designed professionally, my wife (she's korean) is a very good graphic designer. i'm sure we could work out some kind of trade ... 
your first logo reminded me a little of pink floyd's dark side of the moon album cover ... dont know why i thought that. |
i'll keep that in mind, and i'll send you a pm soon. i've got a friend i'm going to try to get in touch with first though.
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definitely rent. it'll be cheaper and you get your key money back. if you suddenly become amazingly wealthy, then buy.  |
that's what it's looking like. although, i might try to go the chonsei route, which is just a crapload of key money, but no monthly rent, and then you get all of the key money back at the end of the lease. at least that's how i think it works.
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| as you know, koreans aren't a 'bar' culture. they prefer to sit in groups and talk. so i don't think your horse shaped bar is going to be very practical. if you're looking at a small place, then it'd also be a huge waste of space. |
the only thing i'm absolutely sure about is that this has to primarily be a bar. koreans are growing to understand and accept the idea of the western bar. i'll have tables for anyone who wants to sit at them, but the bar will be where the energy is, rather than just a place to put the cash register.
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| i agree with the comments about targeting koreans. there's a lot more koreans than foreigners, so they'd be your primary audience. so they'll want the usual: cheap prices, good service, something gimmicky ... |
yeah. i've spoken to a few bar owners since i've started this thread, and all but one of them told me to do what i can to keep the koreans coming in. the guy that told me otherwise had different ideas about what kind of bar he was running than i have about mine.
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anyways, send me a pm if you're interested in help with the logo.
good luck with the project. |
will do. thanks for the bump. |
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GuinnessGuru
Joined: 04 Dec 2005
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:05 pm Post subject: Opening a Bar in Korea. |
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There's a Bar in Bundang owned by an Irish Guy Joe. Actually he owns half of it and his Korean business partner owns half. The place is usually full on Wednesday,Friday, and Saturday nights, the rest of the week seems pretty slow but no slower than the couple of hundred other small bars in the area. I've spoken to Joe many times about how the business is going, it is coming up to their second birthday in March and he told me if he had to do it again he probably wouldn't. Competition is so great for a start, that it is almost impossible to attract a constant stream of Korean regulars, the bar attracts all the foreigners on the nights mentioned, or at least a good proportion, but to really make a go of it he needs the Korean guys buying bottles of whiskey, unfortunately he is beating himself as the more foreigners he attracts the fewer Korean Ajoshis will come. Tough one eh?Joe gets by ok as he has another pretty decent job but tells me it would not be worth it to only have the bar. So be careful mate, if this guy has the BUSIEST bar in Bundang and it is still not adding up, there may be some serious cause for the high number of bars that are going out of business week by week. He is a pretty decent chap and I am sure he would give you all the help he could. He travels a lot overseas and is usually pretty hammered for a couple of nights when he comes back, but a hell of a good bar-man, makes people feel really welcome. One other thing I've noticed being a regular there, he is not the largest guy in the world and he sometimes has problems with drunks, he seems to handle it ok but as he says himself some night someone will have a serious go at him. The bar is called Dublin Irish Bar located at Samsung Plaza Seohyeon Bundang give him a call 031 708 7942 if he is there he will certainly take it. I am pretty certain you will need a Korean Business partner to even contemplate this venture.
'Best of luck! |
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superdave
Joined: 20 Aug 2006
Location: over there ----->
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:32 pm Post subject: |
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| endofthewor1d wrote: |
| that's what it's looking like. although, i might try to go the chonsei route, which is just a crapload of key money, but no monthly rent, and then you get all of the key money back at the end of the lease. at least that's how i think it works. |
yeah, chonsei is lump sum key money and no rent. wolsei is monthly rent or key money/rent combination.
one problem is that many building owners prefer wolsei, because they're guaranteed an income. if you drop a bunch of key money, they don't always make much profit. so they want the monthly rent!
there's a formula that applies to renting apartments. i'm not sure if it's the same for offices and shop space, but i'm sure it's similar.
10 million key is equivalent to 100,000 won a month rent.
so a 50 million key bond is worth the same as 500,000 won a month rent.
for a 50 million key, the owner is usually happy to take 30 million key and 200,000 per month rent. the value is the same, but obviously they keep the rent money! |
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endofthewor1d
Joined: 01 Apr 2003
Location: the end of the wor1d.
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| Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 8:25 pm Post subject: Re: Opening a Bar in Korea. |
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| GuinnessGuru wrote: |
There's a Bar in Bundang owned by an Irish Guy Joe. Actually he owns half of it and his Korean business partner owns half. The place is usually full on Wednesday,Friday, and Saturday nights, the rest of the week seems pretty slow but no slower than the couple of hundred other small bars in the area. I've spoken to Joe many times about how the business is going, it is coming up to their second birthday in March and he told me if he had to do it again he probably wouldn't. Competition is so great for a start, that it is almost impossible to attract a constant stream of Korean regulars, the bar attracts all the foreigners on the nights mentioned, or at least a good proportion, but to really make a go of it he needs the Korean guys buying bottles of whiskey, unfortunately he is beating himself as the more foreigners he attracts the fewer Korean Ajoshis will come. Tough one eh?Joe gets by ok as he has another pretty decent job but tells me it would not be worth it to only have the bar. So be careful mate, if this guy has the BUSIEST bar in Bundang and it is still not adding up, there may be some serious cause for the high number of bars that are going out of business week by week. He is a pretty decent chap and I am sure he would give you all the help he could. He travels a lot overseas and is usually pretty hammered for a couple of nights when he comes back, but a hell of a good bar-man, makes people feel really welcome. One other thing I've noticed being a regular there, he is not the largest guy in the world and he sometimes has problems with drunks, he seems to handle it ok but as he says himself some night someone will have a serious go at him. The bar is called Dublin Irish Bar located at Samsung Plaza Seohyeon Bundang give him a call 031 708 7942 if he is there he will certainly take it. I am pretty certain you will need a Korean Business partner to even contemplate this venture.
'Best of luck! |
thank you guinnessguru. that's a lot of good information. when i get a free night one of these days, i'll definitely head down to bundang to see if i can meet this guy. i work with a guy who knows the bar and the guy you're talking about. cheers! |
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endofthewor1d
Joined: 01 Apr 2003
Location: the end of the wor1d.
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| Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:18 am Post subject: |
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we might have just caught a break. my wife's uncle in ansan has one of those all-you-can-eat meat buffets, and it's really huge. business hasn't been too hot lately, and he's been trying to sell the place, but no one is interested in buying it because it's just too big to do anything practical with. he's offered to section off about 30 pyeong of it for us to turn into a bar.
that's great news on the surface. but the drawbacks (that i've thought of so far) are pretty big. first, we don't live anywhere near ansan. i think it's about an hour to an hour and a half away by car, so i would only be able to work there on thursdays, fridays, and saturdays. my brothers-in-law could hold down the fort for the rest of the time.
the other problem is that i don't know anything about ansan. his restaurant is near gojan station. they told me there are no bars in the area, and i've been there a couple of times myself and confirmed that. but is the area thirsty for a bar at all? are there any foreigners in the area?
it's not exactly what i was aiming for, but it might prove to be a nice stepping stone. |
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Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
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| Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:01 am Post subject: Re: Opening a Bar in Korea. |
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| endofthewor1d wrote: |
| thank you guinnessguru. that's a lot of good information. when i get a free night one of these days, i'll definitely head down to bundang to see if i can meet this guy. i work with a guy who knows the bar and the guy you're talking about. cheers! |
There's also a foreigner-run wine bar up near Kyunghee Uni main gates in Hoegi-dong, upstairs from the GS25 called "Chapter 11". He's been in business for almost 2 years as well. |
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Dan The Chainsawman
Joined: 05 May 2005
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| Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:19 am Post subject: |
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Hurry up and open a damn bar somewhere.. I don't care where.. just open the damn thing.. I want to get wasted at it... not the wussy little, "oh gosh melvin I think I am tipsy. I best call for a taxi." ... OHHH no.. I am talking, "ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
RRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IMMA GONNA RUN THROUGH THE STREETS ON FIRE!!!!"
I wouldn't do business in Ansan simply because the place is a seedy hole. Maybe that is my perception of it so don't take my word on it alone. |
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The Hammer
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Ullungdo 37.5 N, 130.9 E, altitude : 223 m
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| Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:58 am Post subject: |
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| endofthewor1d wrote: |
i had what i think is a good idea for a logo, and i've been trying to develop it a bit. i thought i'd open what i have up for feedback from the forum. please bear in mind that i have little artistic talent and that these were done with the windows paint program.
which one do you prefer? do they both suck? all comments, criticisms, and suggestions welcome.
Phot removed
this was my first attempt.
Photo Removed
this was my second attempt, thinking it might look a little more sleek and be easier to work with having just two colors.
thanks! |
which one do you prefer? do they both suck? all comments, criticisms, and suggestions welcome.
End of the World sounds to me like a depressing name for a bar. Too much doom in that name for me. .02
What is the attraction for you? What does the name tell customers about your place? |
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swetepete
Joined: 01 Nov 2006
Location: a limp little burg
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| Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Bumpity-BUMP! |
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endofthewor1d
Joined: 01 Apr 2003
Location: the end of the wor1d.
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| Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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thank you, sweetpete.
i haven't looked at this thread in a while, so i didn't even see the hammer's question.
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End of the World sounds to me like a depressing name for a bar. Too much doom in that name for me. .02
What is the attraction for you? What does the name tell customers about your place? |
first and foremost, i think "end of the world" is a really cool name for a bar. that's it, really.
also, when you look at other bars in korea, or any businesses for that matter, names don't seem to be too terribly important. there's a bar in my area called "post", with a giant letter with a postage stamp on the outside. really... what kind of theme is that? 'licking stamps makes me thirsty'?
something else i've got in my favor will be that i can spell. i won't spend assloads of money on a place called the "S Mordern Bar", or on a menu item called "cherry c0ck".
to keep my risk as low as possible, i'm of the mind now that i'm not going to be a piker, and i'm going to wait until i can buy, rather than rent out, a piece of property.
i've been putting money away toward this goal for almost a year now, and i'm about 1/5 of where i can seriously start looking at real estate. so depending on how my stocks do, maybe a year, maybe four. |
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Are they the lemmings
Joined: 15 Feb 2007
Location: Not here anymore. JongnoGuru was the only thing that kept me here.
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:11 am Post subject: |
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Bump, baby, bump.
I'd love to see how this turns out. Good luck. |
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The Hammer
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Ullungdo 37.5 N, 130.9 E, altitude : 223 m
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 3:49 am Post subject: |
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| Harsh Bloke wrote: |
Bump, baby, bump.
I'd love to see how this turns out. Good luck. |
Be patient because you might have to wait 4 years. |
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yashi
Joined: 19 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:57 am Post subject: |
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| OP: I sent you a PM. |
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Corporal
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:19 am Post subject: |
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| endofthewor1d wrote: |
first and foremost, i think "end of the world" is a really cool name for a bar. that's it, really.
also, when you look at other bars in korea, or any businesses for that matter, names don't seem to be too terribly important. there's a bar in my area called "post", with a giant letter with a postage stamp on the outside. really... what kind of theme is that? 'licking stamps makes me thirsty'?
something else i've got in my favor will be that i can spell. i won't spend assloads of money on a place called the "S Mordern Bar", or on a menu item called "cherry *beep*".
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I know a bar called "The". |
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endofthewor1d
Joined: 01 Apr 2003
Location: the end of the wor1d.
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:07 am Post subject: |
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| The Hammer wrote: |
| Harsh Bloke wrote: |
Bump, baby, bump.
I'd love to see how this turns out. Good luck. |
Be patient because you might have to wait 4 years. |
unfortunately, the hammer is probably right. doing this correctly is going to require a lot of money and patience. i started saving for this project almost exactly one year ago. four more may very well come and go before this thread has a happy ending.
| yashi wrote: |
| OP: I sent you a PM. |
appreciated, and responded to.
| Corporal wrote: |
| I know a bar called "The". |
and there's a chain of clothes shops called "there's". they've got some kind of weird slogan on their shops as well, but i've forgotten it. |
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