Atlanta Restaurant Blog

Power Couples: Atlanta Restaurants Run by Husband / Wife Teams – Part 2

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Atlanta Eats

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August 9, 2016

In this series we are highlighting couples that own and run restaurants in Atlanta. We’ll talk about what it’s like to work together as a couple among other personal aspects. This week’s features is Yoon and Chloe Choi owner’s of Alpharetta’s E M Bop Restaurant

1.) How did you meet?
My husband’s friend Steve who is our current business partner set up a blind date for us! We dated for three and a half years and finally got married right after I graduated from college. Steve’s family and our family are close friends. We finally made our dream come true to have a restaurant together with EM Bop.

2.) What is the first meal your spouse (the chef) cooked for you?
He invited all my close friends and he cooked lamb chops and mashed purple potatoes. It was DELICIOUS!

Korean-dining-Atlanta-Alpharetta — Bibimbop and Ribeye Korean Barbecue at EM Bop in Alpharetta

3.) If you didn’t run a restaurant, what other business would you see yourselves doing?
My husband would probably work at a five star hotel as a chef only (not being involved in the day to day running of a restaurant) and enjoy some really nice employee benefits!

4.) What is the hardest thing about working with your spouse?
We’ve been married 14 years and love spending time together so there aren’t any conflicts working with one another. But it is hard for me to see him go through a hard time or handle a stressful event.

Vegetarian-Korean--alpharetta — Tofu and Mushroom Vegetarian dish at EM Bop in Alpharetta

5.) What is the biggest challenge you face as a restaurant proprietor?
Marketing is the biggest challenge for us. We are the only Korean restaurant at Alpharetta and we are new, so trying to spread the word. We also want people to know about the quality of our food, that we use no MSG, and make our own broth and bacon in house.

6.) Obviously the restaurant industry is very demanding. How do you find time to just be a regular married couple and not business partners?
Just being with our 3 1/2 year old daughter make us happy and we are able to put aside the restaurant trials and tribulations. We always love to have her around and she brings so much joy to our lives.

7.) When you are not running your restaurant, what is your favorite thing to do?
We love to spend time with family. On our day off or whenever we have a chance, we love to go to hiking, or have a picnic at the park. We take mealtime seriously. As a family, it is really important to put away electronic devices and be present with one another.