What do you know about Buza Korean Fried Chicken? Co-founders and owners James Lee and Julia Kim give us the lowdown on the fast food franchise.
Tell us about Buza Korean Fried Chicken and what’s different about the brand?
As the name suggests, Buza Korean Fried Chicken is a Korean style fried chicken franchise in Melbourne, co-founded by me, James Lee, and my wife, Julie Kim. Although chicken is our specialty, our menu is not limited to that. We offer a variety of Korean dishes, including Korean hot pot and Korean buckwheat soba noodles.
Our store locations within the Melbourne CBD means we are in prime position for the lunch rush and late-night feasts.
Some key differences of Buza Korean Fried Chicken from our competitors are the interesting food processes we use to make sure the quality of our food is second to none.
Buza Korean Fried Chicken uses only canola oil in our food, which is a rarity in the industry. The use of this oil helps keep the flavour inside, and a crispy outside.
We have also just expanded our menu to keep up with the fast-growing vegetarian market. We have created a range of cauliflower bites in four flavours, soy smoke, original, sweet & spicy, and snow cheese for our vegetarian customers, . There aren’t many chicken focused places that offer a non-chicken option.
Buza Korean Fried Chicken also has its very own natural herb recipe. This recipe is used to marinate the chicken for at least 12 hours.
All of our sauces are actually made by me and my company out of South Korea.
How long have you been trading in Australia?
Buza Korean Fried Chicken has been open for four years in Australia (since July 2017), but after the pandemic we decided to franchise our business. In the space of only a few months, we have added a new store – our Melbourne Central outlet.
How many stores are there, and how many do you expect to open this year?
There are two outlets at the moment in Queen Street, Melbourne and Melbourne Central Shopping centre.
We expect to open between five and seven new franchised stores in the next 12 months, across Melbourne and Sydney.
Who typically is a Buza Korean Fried Chicken customer?
Buza Korean Fried Chicken has a few target audiences. They range from students, CBD locals, CBD workers and of course those people who are out on the town late – because Buza is open until 2am on weekends!
Why will the business appeal to a franchisee?
We pride ourselves on our incredible head office support ranging from marketing to HR, and we have great operations systems.
Compared to our competitors, the cost is lower to franchise. This is because we are an Australian brand, whereas a lot of other comparable brands run out of Korea – meaning higher costs, and longer productivity times.
What kind of location works best for the brand?
When expanding, we look at suburbs that are quite family oriented. University suburbs, because that means students. Suburbs like Box Hill and St Albans, as well as the CBD are all very high on our ideal locations.
How much does a franchise cost?
From start to finish, less than $350,000
How long is a franchise term?
Five years, with the option to renew.