Corn dogs were a trendy street food item in 1980s Korea and a resurgence has occurred as the Western world wants to try it too.
Guelph will have its very own taste of Korea with the new Chungchun Rice Dog, which will be opening in the Harvard Plaza next month.
“We like to eat right, on the weekend we travel a lot. Eating lots of food,” said Duy Nguyen, who is opening the franchise with her partner Mango Le.
They discovered Chungchun in North York and saw the location had a long line. Nguyen thought the line indicated the food had to be tasty, so they lined up to find out what was so special about it.
“The first time I tried it, I loved it. So that’s why I decided to apply for a franchise to bring to Guelph,” said Le.
There are 31 Chungchun locations across Canada.
"It's brand new. New taste, new look, new flavour. You've never experienced before," said Nguyen.
Nguyen said he thinks the location will work well because it is close to the university bringing students in to try Korean rice dogs.
The hype is real, Nguyen indicated some Chungchun locations on their opening day had to close early because they sold out of supplies.
Nguyen and Le are both from Vietnam and have lived in Guelph for the last 10 years. This is their first business.
“The combination is very perfect and delicious,” said Nguyen. The combination he is referring to is the adding melted cheese with beef inside the rice dog. He said he liked the uniqueness of this kind of food because it stands out from other fast food joints.
Chungchun is a to-go fast food spot with a couple of stand-up tables. They want to partner with food delivery apps like UberEats and DoorDash.
Nguyen and Le’s favourite dogs are gamsung, a beef and chicken hot dog with potatoes on the outside and squid ink cheese, with beef, squid ink and cheese inside.
There are also a variety of dipping sauces like teriyaki, wasabi mayo, hot sauce, icing sugar and more. Customers can also add toppings like ramen chips and corn flakes.
They will train at the Chungchun North York location and their staff will also be trained at the Guelph location before opening day.
