Bibigo
CJ Foodville’s global Korean food brand Bibigo became a new entrant in the Michelin Guide, one of the world’s most prestigious restaurant evaluation guides.
CJ Foodville, CJ Group’s restaurant business arm, announced on October 7 that the Bibigo London Soho store was featured in the London edition of the 2014 Michelin Guide.
Korean food is being recognized worldwide, as witnessed by the recent event where Jung Korean restaurant in New York received two stars from the Guide. Amid Korean food’s growing popularity, Bibigo’s new entry is significant, in that it is the first time for a Korean restaurant to be included in the Michelin Guide.
In July 2012, the store was opened in the Soho area in which many upscale restaurants are concentrated, just in time for the London Olympics to target British gourmets. It is a Bar & Dining-type store, differentiated from other Bibigo branches, so that Britons accustomed to pub culture can be more familiar with Korean cuisine. In addition, it has a luxurious interior that shows the real beauty of Korea, and offers a list of recommended wines that go well with chosen foods. On top of that, it has a variety of Korean alcoholic beverages such as soju cocktails.
In July 2012, Bibigo invited 300 VIPs, including the Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and served traditional banquet foods at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It also hosted a special tasting event of bulgogi, Korean dumplings, and bibimbap at the Thames Festival.
The Korean food brand also held promotional tours and tasting events using their Bibigo Food Truck, mainly in TESCO stores. As a result, its processed food products were able to hit 43 TESCO stores across the UK. In May 2013, it received TESCO’s Supplier of the Year award, which is given to the top brand among new entrants each year.