They Planned for 50 Burgers. After Selling 300, This Founder Began Building the Restaurant in Public

Josh Kim, co-founder of Softies Burger in Los Angeles, is building a restaurant brand in public. A former OpenTable employee, Kim shares the real process of opening and running a restaurant through storytelling and social media. Watch now to learn how a burger popup took off, why Josh Kim chose to build in public, and the reality of opening a restaurant. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Chapters: [08:45] - The Popup That Sold 300 Burgers [11:02] - Testing the Concept and Smorgasburg Breakthrough [17:05] - Choosing USC Village for the First Restaurant [19:30] - Building a Restaurant in Public on Instagram [30:15] - Roy Choi and the Power of Storytelling SPONSORS: RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST — Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience. • Toast All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Episode Links: Softie Burger: https://www.softiesburger.com/ Softie Burger Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/softiesburger Softie Burger YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoftiesBurger Josh Kim IG: https://www.instagram.com/joshjkim/ Roy Choi Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A_OowiflXw Key Takeaways: Build in Public: Josh Kim documented the messy, unfiltered reality of opening Softies Burger, from construction delays to emotional stress. By sharing the real journey instead of polished marketing, the story itself became part of the brand and drew operators and entrepreneurs into the process. Start Small and Let Demand Prove It: Softies Burger began as a casual popup meant to sell fifty burgers. When the first event sold 300 in three hours, Kim and his partner resisted rushing into a full restaurant and used popups to test whether the demand was real. Transparency Creates Community: By openly sharing the highs, doubts, and sacrifices behind restaurant ownership, Kim connected with other operators and founders. The honesty turned Softies Burger into more than a restaurant. It became a platform for storytelling and shared experience. *** ABOUT JOSH KIM — Josh Kim is the co-founder of Softies Burger, a Los Angeles–based concept that grew from a small popup into one of the city’s most talked-about new burger brands. After starting his career in restaurant technology at OpenTable, Kim returned to hospitality to build Softies alongside business partner Sam Hong. Known for documenting the real process of opening a restaurant online, Kim has built a following by sharing the highs, struggles, and lessons of entrepreneurship in public. ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS — Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Toast co-founder Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online. Published by Entrepreneur Media - https://entreprenuer.com Produced by Cali BBQ Media - https://betheshow.media