Cupbop is debuting in Texas, and Katy could be first on the list of new locations to house this restaurant offering Korean cuisine.
“Texas is such a phenomenal market for most industries, but for specifically the restaurant industry, has always been robust,” said Marisa Romero-Sandlin, Chief Operating Officer of Cupbop franchisee, Gold Bowl Group. “It was just a natural progression as we move east.”
Romero-Sandlin has worked in Texas with other brands. “When we were setting our course, our strategy for growth, we knew that Texas was a place we wanted to be,” Romero-Sandlin said.
They are currently working to develop the brand in El Paso, but Romero-Sandlin believes Katy might be the first Texas city for Cupbop. Cupbop will be located at 23720 Westheimer Pkwy. and could open during mid to late-spring of 2023.
“I think the thing that’s so great about Cupbop is one, it’s a very simple concept,” Romero-Sandlin said. “The great thing about our food is that we have this saying that it’s a ‘Steaming cup of Wow,’ and it truly is that.”
The Cupbop menu features entrees served with rice, cabbage mix, and noodles with your choice of protein. “We do some creative things with the Korean barbecue component with the Bulgogi beef, which is absolutely a fan favorite. And then we’ve got the spicy pork, which is very popular. I think our most popular item tends to be the Rock Chicken. It’s our fried chicken in a spicy, tangy sauce.”
Sides include KKO KKO Stick, which is a fried chicken skewer and Mandoo, which is deep-fried potstickers. “We also offer that in a bowl, so we’ve got a Mandoo bowl, which is actually my favorite.” Cupbop can address dietary needs such as vegetarian, as well as gluten-free with gluten-free noodles and fried chicken.
Junghun Song founded Cupbop as a food truck in 2013 serving four main Korean dishes and a variety of special sauces ranging from #1 sweet with no heat to #10 heat, according to the Cupbop website. “We have a unique 7 1/2, which is our founder’s favorite, which is about the heat of a plate of hot wings,” Romero-Sandlin added.
Cupbop offers pickup, delivery, and catering and currently operates in about two dozen Utah locations, as well as in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Oklahoma. The brand also has more than 100 locations in Indonesia.
“We are thrilled to be coming to Texas,” Romero-Sandlin said. “We’re just getting our search started in Houston, and so we’ve got quite a few other locations in Houston that we’re looking at. We believe that Houston will be a tremendous market for us.” They also plan to bring Cupbop to other key areas including the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Josh O’Toole with Phillips Edison & Company worked on the leasing transaction for the Katy space.
