Bonchon Korean fried chicken opens 5th Minnesota location
Korean fried chicken chain Bonchon continues its expansion in Minnesota, recently opening its fifth Twin Cities location.
The full-service restaurant at Eagan Town Centre is the chain’s fifth location in the state, according to Bonchon's website. The full-service restaurant opened on April 12, offering dine-in, to-go and curbside service from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Bonchon offers Korean fried chicken as well as other dishes including sliders, Korean tacos and bibimbap. It is also in the process of getting approval to serve liquor to diners.
The Eagan Planning Commission on a 7-0 vote Tuesday recommended the approval of a conditional use permit to allow on-site liquor sales. The Eagan City Council is tentatively scheduled to consider the issue at its June 1 meeting.
Bonchon began in 2002 in South Korea and now has 101 locations in 21 states. It opened its first Minnesota location in Minneapolis in 2018. In addition to the Uptown location, Bonchon has since opened restaurants in Dinkytown, at the Mall of America and in Maple Grove.
According to the Business Journal, Bonchon plans to open another location in the Rosewood Shopping Center in Roseville, likely toward the end of the summer.
In late 2018, Bonchon in Uptown issued an apology after workers complained of wage theft. The restaurant admitted to withholding tips from servers to redistribute to kitchen staff.
Former employees, along with the City of Minneapolis’ Labor Standards Enforcement Division eventually reached a settlement with Bonchon in the fall of 2019 and received their unpaid wages, according to the Southwest Journal.