Running a new restaurant is not easy. It takes a lot of long days, sore legs, and clothes that always seem to smell like grilled meat. Every restaurant (and business) needs to have core values that inspire employees. Here are MiSo’s 3 main motivations:
1) Guests: First and foremost, MiSo’s guests are the driving force for everything. MiSo wouldn’t be here if not for the humbling support of loyal friends, family and guests. This might be a cliché among larger establishments, but small business owners will testify that a tightly-knit community is the life-blood of success. As such, we put all our decisions to the test of whether it would be good or not for customers. We don’t cut corners on quality, for example, even in instances when removing a few pricey ingredients might go unnoticed. We also try to treat our guests the same way we would if one of our friends or family walked in, because we hope to be treated with the same respect in return. We genuinely care about all our guests, which leads us to our next motivation…
2) Health: Serving healthy food gives us the joy of knowing our guests are putting good things in their body. We wouldn’t feel warm and fuzzy at the end of each day if we were serving artery-clogging foods. We understand that those foods can be delicious and the occasional treat, but America needs healthier options. Eating out should not make you feel guilty afterwards. Importantly, these options need to be affordable so everyone can enjoy.
There is still a weird food pyramid in America. It seems you can only have two options out of three: i) fast food, ii) healthy food, iii) affordable food. If your food takes less than a minute, you’re probably seeing something slimy and deep-fried. If you want healthy food, you’re sadly better off looking towards more expensive sit-down locals. Things are of course getting better. Chipotle, in particular, has taken immense steps to push the needle forward on unprocessed cooking. But they leave a lot to be desired in terms of low sodium, fat, and sugar options.
MiSo endeavors to get rid of that malicious pyramid of health, cost and ease. We cook all our foods in ways that eliminate unnecessary oils, sugars and saturated fats. The food is real and unprocessed. And because we’ve simplified our menu to focus on only the delicious ingredients, we’ve been able to offer our meals at fair prices. It’s all prepared in front of the customer and therefore doesn’t take an exorbitant time to get in and out the door. Typically, about 5 minutes or less.
Image Source: Sony DSC
3) Korea: MiSo also aims to familiarize more people with Korean food. Korean cuisine largely hasn’t hit the US to the same degree as Chinese, Italian, Mexican, or even the burgeoning Vietnamese and Thai restaurants. The Korean restaurants that do exist are typically a bit spendy and might be in a less approachable format than MiSo's fast-casual. This to us is a shame because Korean food offers something for everyone – spicy, sweet, and savory. In many instances, our customers are trying kimbap, bibimbap, or bulgogi for the first time. We’ll get the occasional burly bodybuilder in that may rarely ventures beyond sandwiches and protein shakes, but often leaves with a newfound love for Korean. It’s a gratifying cultural exchange.