How a Retired Korean Filmmaker Opened K-Town’s Quirkiest Fried Chicken Spot - Eater LA
"This unwavering meticulousness is why Jeong continues to operate alone, seven days a week. “I just can’t bear to think about turning people away,” he explains. His work is indeed paying off. Last year, the restaurant expanded, moving from a nondescript basement to a more polished strip mall location. Like the film career he built years ago, Jeong wants to embody self-reliance in this chicken restaurant, even in his personal life. Despite growing business, Jeong claims to sleep in his car for only two or three hours a night. It’s not so much that he can’t afford a permanent residence, but more about the lifestyle he wants to live. He admits, “My kids keep telling me to get an apartment, but I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, and I can’t imagine doing life any differently.” Although they may not agree with his minimalist lifestyle, Jeong’s family is incredibly proud of what he has built. “I see Director Gol Tong as the epitome of the first-generation Korean immigrant,” says Steve Byun, Jeong’s son-in-law. “His perseverance has helped him chase his dreams. I mean, how many chicken joints do you know that are run solely by a film director?” Reconciling Jeong’s past life with his present one, it’s hard not to wonder: What in the world do directing films and frying chicken have in common? On the surface, nothing. But both are skills he picked up on a whim. Both illustrate his fearlessness in taking on unfamiliar ventures and his desire to move people through his creations, Although more than half of his current business consists of repeat customers, Jeong has retained his resilient spirit through challenges of the pandemic and remains steadfast in his operations as a one-man show. Byun says that’s what the community loves most about him." - Cathy Park
