Behind each of your favourite stores are passionate, hardworking people who welcome you to take part in their story, every time you walk in. Here, we introduce you to the faces behind some of your favourite Stockland retailers. Learn about the history of their business, the products and services they offer and what they love about their local community.
Meet Edward, Soju Korean Restaurant
1. What products, services or experiences do you offer?
Soju offers authentic Korean cuisine, from our signature crispy Korean fried chicken, tantalizing kimchi stew, spicy tteokbokki (rice cake) to hearty beef and seafood hotpots, so there is always something soulfully delicious for everyone. Not to mention our range of Soju drinks including a traditional spirit, which is known as Korean Vodka – it’s clean and neutral tasting without the harsh alcohol burn.
2. Things to love about our store?
We always strive to excel in three elements: food, service and atmosphere. We always ensure our food is fresh and served at its highest quality and standards. We are also aware that just having delicious food is not enough. Our friendly staff pride themselves on offering friendly and accommodating service to make our guests feel at home every time they visit. Furthermore, the atmosphere is important, particularly during our post-COVID reopening. We have implemented additional cleaning procedures and reconfigured our dining hall to practice social distancing, so that guests can dine with confidence. We put our guests at the forefront of everything we do.
3. A funny story to share?
One table finished their meal and instead of a pleasant smile, they all raised their eyebrows, looking worried. Our staff quickly spotted that something wasn’t right and decided to approach them and see what was happening. We were thinking they must be unhappy with something during their meal. It turns out that it was quite the opposite. They told us that the food was so delicious, that they ate far too much and are full to the neck! They even asked if they could stay a little longer to digest their meal before leaving.
4. What are the most common questions customer ask?
When customers dine-in and order their main dishes, our staff will bring some side dishes - we call them ‘banchan’ to their table. Customers often ask "are they free of charge?" or "what happens if we eat the side dishes?". The answer is YES YES YES ! These banchan are complimentary when you dine-in with us. Banchan are an important element of authentic Korean cuisine, and we don't take them lightly. We have a dedicated chef that makes them in-house freshly. Some typical Banchan are kimchi, pickles, Korean seaweed, braised lotus and potato salad. Every day is different depending on what's fresh!
5. What drives you and your team to success?
The support from the local community is what drives us. From a single smile when they walk past our restaurant, to the positive and constructive feedback we receive on Facebook, Google, other platforms or in person - it constantly reminds us that what we do is being noticed and customers want quality and value for money. Every day our team strives to improve our offering and reach new heights of customer satisfaction.
6. What customers are wanting now and what our shop is offering?
It's coming into the colder season and in Korean cuisine, hotpots, stews and BBQ are definitely must haves! In June 2020, we will be launching a new BBQ menu, where customers can cook prime cuts of meat on a stove from their table. This is the most popular way to taste the tenderness and rich flavour in beef and pork. We are trialling this menu and as a result, have limited space per seating, so booking is highly recommended. Our signature Korean fried chicken is our #1 seller and we have recently launched a new honey mustard flavour in addition to the current honey soy, spicy/sweet and snow cheese flavours. It is another must try. Lastly, our banchan (side dishes) are very popular and in responding to this demand, customers can soon buy our daily fresh banchan for takeaway! So a lot of new and exciting things are happening at Soju to celebrate the COVID-19 reopening.
If you’d like to read more about your most-loved retailers, their products, and the faces behind the businesses, click through to the Retailer Stories page on our Belong hub. There are plenty of stories to share!
