Bop Cha brings Korean food to Woodburn Premium Outlets
Crisp corndogs with stretchy mozzarella, crunchy Korean chicken wings and cups of rice bowls are the latest foods you can find at Woodburn Premium Outlets.
Bop Cha, Eat Korean Food, is the newest - and only - fast casual Korean restaurant at the mall.
Friends turned business partners
Owners Jin Han and Jin Park are friends turned business partners, but Han actually began Bop Cha a few years ago. Han said the two discussed the idea of working together for over a year, with Park encouraging Han to "think bigger." The two originally met as their children are friends. The two also attend the same church. When the opportunity for joining the outlet mall came, they were in disbelief for a while.
The restaurant's concept is part of a popular food truck model called "cupbap." "Bap," which is rice in Korean, is served in a cup rather than a standard bowl, making it more convenient to carry and eat.
Since the restaurant space doesn't have extensive seating, folks can take it to go and continue shopping with it.
How Bop Cha came to Woodburn
The story of how Bop Cha ended up in Woodburn begins at the Lake Oswego farmers market, which Han began serving food at in 2017. Han's operation was similar, but with different Korean foods.
After saving and considering options to further his business, he bought a food truck. Bop Cha means "food truck" in Korean. Unfortunately, he got the food truck right before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The truck spent the first few months parked, as Han could not find a place to fix it up. Toward the end of 2022, Han was finally able to get the truck worked on. Then he started looking for places to park and serve food.
In February, Han was driving to Aurora and stopped to check out the shaved ice stand, previously Hokulia Shave Ice, at the Woodburn mall. He went into the management office to see if the space was available, only to be told there was a different restaurant space open.
After discussing with Park and others, they decided to take the risk and sign for the space. Han said he was hesitant to open a brick and mortar restaurant because so many places went out of business throughout the pandemic. But the pros outweighed the cons, especially because the mall didn't have any Korean food.
Hours: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sunday to Friday; 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Saturday
Address: 1001 N Arney Road Suite 218A, Woodburn
Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@gannett.com, follow her on Twitter @catchuptoemily or see what she's eating on Instagram @sikfanmai.ah.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Bop Cha brings Korean food to Woodburn Premium Outlets
