Bonchon Korean fried chicken announces anticipated opening for North Quincy restaurant

QUINCY − A new Korean fried chicken restaurant might be ready to open next month in North Quincy.

Bonchon's "coming soon" sign with images of glistening wings and drumettes has been tantalizing shoppers next to the Stop & Shop at 65 Newport Ave. since October.

The exact timing of the opening will depend on the delivery of kitchen equipment, franchisee and restaurant manager Jack Tran said.

Quincy's licensing board Tuesday approved Tran's request for a common victualer's license, pending a health inspection.

Tran said he chose Quincy because of its diverse population and has been trying to find the right location with enough parking for the past two years.

Tran said Bonchon diners will share the large grocery store parking lot with shoppers, and two spots will be reserved for those picking up takeout orders.

Tran also owns Gong Cha bubble tea shops in Fields Corner and Lowell. Gong Cha is a Taiwanese franchise with global reach.

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The 19,000-square-foot space in North Quincy, once occupied by a Supercuts hair salon, can accommodate 14 to 16 diners, Tran said, with most of the space devoted to the kitchen.

Tran described the new restaurant as "fast casual" as opposed to a full-service restaurant. According to Restaurant Business, Bonchon first experimented with the fast casual model in 2021 to operate with a smaller footprint and less labor.

Tran spent two weeks training at Bonchon's global headquarters in Dallas.

"They don't mess around," Tran said of the program.

He said Bonchon will send more trainers to North Quincy to train staff a week before and a week after the anticipated opening in late February.

The proposed hours are 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

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Bonchon's origins in South Korea and an American success story

Bonchon, which means “my hometown” in Korean, opened in New York City in 2007. Its founder, Jinduk Seo, was born in South Korea, where “you’ll find a mom-and-pop fried chicken joint on every block,” according to the Bonchon website.

Korean cooks have been putting their own spin on fried chicken for years. At Bonchon, each piece is hand-battered, fried twice and then brushed with sauce, resulting in an extra-crispy bite. The chicken is fried “once to lock in all the succulent juices and again to achieve that signature, crave-worthy crunch,” the website boasts.

Its menu includes other Korean dishes such as bulgogi, or thin slices of marinated beef grilled on a barbecue or griddle, and kimchi soup.

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The new Quincy restaurant would be Bonchon’s fifth location in Massachusetts. South Shore residents have to travel to 123 Brighton Ave. in Allston for the Bonchon experience. Other restaurants are in Waltham, Lowell and Salem, with another set to reopen soon in Harvard Square.

There are more than 200 Bonchon locations in the United States and internationally, including in Cambodia, France, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, according to the restaurant’s website. None are listed in South Korea.

Bonchon would be the second Korean fried chicken restaurant to open in the City of Presidents. In February 2022, bb.q Chicken opened on Billings Road, across the train tracks from Stop & Shop and the future Bonchon.

Bb.q Chicken was founded in Seoul, South Korea, in 1994 and opened its first American franchise in 2014.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Bonchon Korean fried chicken's tentative opening date in North Quincy