Korean Job Discussion Forums

[endofthewor1d]

okay, i've been seriously thinking about this for a good while now, and i've pm'd a few people who i thought might be in the know, and while i did get some useful bits of advice from some of them, it's time to take the next step, swallow my pride, and make myself vulnerable to the forum.
preemptive strike:
1. yes, i know that every tom, d1ck, and harry get the wild-hair-up-their-ass idea to open a bar and most of them don't go through with it.
2. yes, i know that most of the ones who do go through with it fail.
3. yes, i know the industry has a high failure rate even for those with experience, and that my own lack of any experience at all (at least on the side of the bar i'm looking to get in on) makes my own success all the more unlikely.
4. yes, despite the odds, i do intend to follow through with it.

here is a small list of other disadvantages i have:
1. i'm a foreigner.
2. i'm on an f2-1 visa, which someone told me made it illegal for me to even work in a bar.
3. i don't have a lot of money just yet.
4. it's worth mentioning again, i have next to no experience running a bar, and not a whole lot of knowledge about the technicalities of it either.

here is a list of factors which i consider to be on my side:
1. i'm married to a korean. while we'll own and run the bar together, i have absolutely no problem with all of the paperwork and whatnot being in her name.
2. after a couple years of being married, i should be able to get an f5 visa, right?
3. i'm able to put away a little over half of my paycheck right now toward the cause, and i expect i'll be able to put even more away during my summer and winter vacations.
4. in the years it will take me to accumulate enough starting capital i intend to educate myself as much as possible... i'm hoping this post will be one of my more fruitful first steps.
5. my in-laws think it's a cool idea. this might not seem like such a practical advantage at first, but their failure to bury their faces in their hands at the thought of it has really bolstered my confidence.
6. it won't be in seoul, but not too far from it.
7. my wife and i have some good ideas that we think will make us stand out and give us an edge, but i don't feel comfortable sharing them on a public forum. i know that sounds incredibly lame, but as i'm rather naieve as of yet, i'm going to use a bit of discretion until things get underway.

what i would like from those of you who are more 'in the know' than me is advice, constructive criticism, stories,... any information you have and would care to share.
some particular things i'm wondering...
do i rent or buy a building? how does that work? if i rent a place, is it cool for me to tear out whatever interior they've got and put my own in?
details about zoning, codes, laws, liscenses, fees, permits, whatever.
beer and liquor distributors. how do i get in touch with them? how does it work? how much does it cost to have taps installed?
borrowing money. is it possible? is it difficult? is it even a good idea?

okay, that's all i can think of off the top of my head. but i'm sure there are a bazillion things i didn't even think of to ask about. those of you who can contribute questions that i should be asking (even if you don't have the answers) are just as welcome to respond.

bear in mind that i've been a bit hesitant to post this on here for fear of heaps of negative backlash. my hope is that this will turn into a lengthy and informative discussion. let's try to keep it civil.
oh... and thanks in advance!

[canuckistan]

Downsides: being nailed down on weekends/nights, dealing with drunk people, and getting rickets from long vampire hours.

Upsides: if it becomes successful--hire a manager and have more free time to spend the cash....and I'd bet some nights would be pretty fun too.

[endofthewor1d]

[Ya-ta Boy]

I had a Korean friend who borrowed money from his uncle to buy a failing bar in Koong Dong (Daejon). It was on an attractive street, just down from the bus stop. However, the primary customers for the whole area were the students from the two universities in the neighborhood. This bar was about half-way between the two, which meant his friends had to walk past about 200 other bars to get to his. Most nights, they didn't get that far. But when they did, they expected discounts on drinks--or outright free drinks.

I asked him why he didn't lower his prices to attract more customers. He said he wanted to attract 'better quality' customers and the other bar owners in the area wouldn't like it. He had one of the few pocket billiards tables in the area, which attracted waygookins, but when the felt got torn he didn't get it repaired: didn't want his bar to get the reputation of a foreigner bar.

My friend went bust, too. He put it up for sale about the time of the financial crash. Really bad timing. Then he died.

[endofthewor1d]

well... that was an amazingly depressing story. sorry to hear about your friend.
this is another reason i'd like to get into this sooner than later. if i fail miserably, i've still got quite a few teaching years left in me.
i'm really sorry for your loss, ya-ta boy.

[Dan The Chainsawman]

Your population is to low EOTW spend some time camping at level 52.

Good luck with the bar if you open it up I will spend money at it and get really drunk and start fights.

You can feel free to beat me with a pool cue, but not in the face please.

[JongnoGuru]

[endofthewor1d]

[endofthewor1d]

[Dan The Chainsawman]

Post your stats pretty boy.. lets rumble the way it should be done.

[endofthewor1d]

damn you chainsaw, my first pm in response to this thread was about darkthrone.

back on topic

[mindmetoo]

[Moldy Rutabaga]

I tend to play it safe, maybe too safe-- I would first get a job in a bar and learn the culture and make contacts, and then think of finding a partner or three or four and thinking about beginning a business. An alternative would be opening a franchise with some other investors, which would have less risk. I'm not sure how or even if the franchise system works in Korea-- maybe this would be more doable in a place like Thailand.

Ken:>

[endofthewor1d]

mindmetoo,
thanks for that article. it was a good read. i wonder how similar their situation was to the one i will face. i know they were dealing with coffee, but it was interesting to read about their markups and formulas. that's actually one of the things i was wondering about. how much does it cost me to pour a 500cc cass? what should i be selling it for? i'm thinking between 2 and 3k.
the only other good bar in the neighborhood doesn't have draft beer, and their bottled beer starts at 5k. i think that's excessive, because i've bought many beers at bars in seoul which were much less expensive. is there a reason beer would be more expensive outside of seoul? to my green mind, that seems counterintuative.

[Dan The Chainsawman]

I can't remember the name of the place but there is a really nice little freaky waygook bar in Anam or something like that. Small and quiet and it seems to do ok. The owner I think uses it as a supplement to his uni teaching salary rather than depending upon it solely.

It is doable.