If you didn’t know any better, you’d think 8Asians.com was a blog about Yul Kwon. Winner of Survivor this, possibly running for Government that. Between all that and his refined jaw line, is there anything Yul Kwon CAN’T do?
Open up on a frozen yogurt shop, apparently.
Accordingly to the San Francisco Chronicle, Yul and a couple of his buddies are trying to open up a Red Mango franchise (a copycat of Pinkberry, as previously discussed by John) in the trendy, picturesque North Beach district of San Francisco. Except for one thing: North Beach’s “formula retail” ordinance, which prohibits chain stores from coming into the neighborhood to preserve a “neighborhood’s unique character.”
[Marsha Garland, founder and executive director of the North Beach Chamber of Commerce] found that Red Mango had continued to add franchises in the time since Kwon’s group was granted a building permit. So by now - and even Young admits this - there are more than 11 locations across the country. Case closed, said the North Beach watchdogs.
“They got a permit and started building and then somebody came and pulled the permit,” said Ken Brownell of Blatteis & Schnur real estate, who handled the rental for Kwon’s group. “They’re shocked and I’m shocked.”
Without a permit, Kwon is stuck on Exile Island. His group can’t do any more building and the storefront sits empty, although rent is still due.
“Is this going to be tougher than ‘Survivor’?” asked Young. “Yul’s just going to bleed out all that ‘Survivor’ money.”
Ha ha, an Exile Island reference. He won Survivor. We get it.
Now most of the time, residents try to preserve a “neighborhood’s unique character” by trying to block out Starbucks, McDonalds and Wal-Marts - basically anything that would remind someone of the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area. But Red Mango is a chain that started out in South Korea in 2002, and would give the neighborhood some character, even if it is technically a chain restaurant with 11 stores. Or would it? With a lack of “Korean style” frozen yogurt chains in the Bay Area, why are they opening the chain in North Beach? Why not a similar hip-yet-gentrification-friendly neighborhood like the Mission or the Castro, or a neighborhood with high Asian Americans like the Richmond?
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:: jozjozjoz :: wrote:
Actually, Red Mango has been in existence for years in Korea.
Pinkberry is the copycat of Red Mango.
Posted on 22-Jan-08 at 4:42 pm | Permalink
Efren wrote:
I was actually surprised that he would consider opening it in North Beach, given the neighborhood dynamics. The woman who started Pinkberry was smart by starting it in West Hollywood and hitting the gay community before franchising it and opening it up in Chelsea (yet another gay neighborhood).
I actually had a friend who was also considering opening up a Red Mango in SF and I told him that he should open it up in the Castro since they’d be more willing to tolerate it since Red Mango is a relatively unknown chain (besides, the Castro needs more good Asian restaurants there anyway, and would be happy to support a hot guy like Mr. Kwon). Given the surprising success of Quickly in the Castro, it’d make sense to put something like Red Mango there too, especially since Pinkberry is being idiotic for having such a horrible franchising policy.
Posted on 23-Jan-08 at 2:33 pm | Permalink
Survivor:Micronesia CBS TV Show | Yul Kwon Actually Fails at Something (Opening a Yogurt Shop) wrote:
[...] 8Asians.com » Yul Kwon Actually Fails at Something (Opening a Yogurt Shop): An Asian American/… By Ernie [...]
Posted on 23-Jan-08 at 4:16 pm | Permalink
8Asians.com » Yul Kwon’s Red Mango in Palo Alto: An Asian American/Asian Canadian Blog wrote:
[...] the winner of “Survivor: Cook Islands,” had opened a Red Mango in downtown Palo Alto. Ernie had posted previously that Kwon had trouble opening a Red Mango in San Francisco due to the city’s strict zoning restrictions against chain [...]
Posted on 21-May-08 at 7:22 am | Permalink
charitee wrote:
“Red Mango franchise (a copycat of Pinkberry, as previously discussed by John)”
like someone said, it’s the other way around. red mango has existed in korea for years…way before pinkberry. pinkberry is pretty yummy, but red mango definitely hits the spot. both are good, but you’re absolutely wrong in saying red mango is a copycat of pinkberry.
Posted on 25-May-08 at 1:16 pm | Permalink