Softies, founded by Josh Kim and Sam Hong in 2022, has opened its first permanent restaurant in USC Village. Starting as a pop-up, they quickly gained popularity, selling hundreds of burgers at events like Smorgasburg. With a focus on griddled burgers topped with blackened onions and white American cheese, the establishment aims to expand its menu to offer breakfast service. The founders previously held corporate jobs but shifted to cooking during their quest for fulfillment. Their initial investment was approximately $5,000 in equipment.
Founded by Josh Kim and Sam Hong in 2022, the pop-up started out as a total experiment after Kim and Hong grew bored by their corporate jobs. Kim was previously in client relations at OpenTable, and Hong worked at a tech company after leaving a management position at Copa Vida Coffee. They decided to cook burgers because it was easier to do than tacos, plus, Roy Choi had cornered the market on Korean-made tacos more than a decade prior.
With about $5,000 in cooking equipment, the two decided to cook burgers because it was easier to do than tacos. They set up at Thank You Coffee in Anaheim, preparing to cook a few dozen burgers, but ended up selling over 300 on the first day.
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