Paik's Noodle

What Paik's Noodle does

Paik's Noodle is a Korean Chinese quick-service restaurant franchise founded in 2006 in Seoul by celebrity chef Paik Jong-won, operating under parent company TheBorn Korea Inc. The brand's core proposition is a deliberately simplified menu built around three signature dishes — jajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodles), jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), and tang-suyuk (sweet and sour pork) — supplemented by seafood variants, fried chicken, fried rice, and prawn dishes. The underlying operational model is a low-menu, high-repeat kitchen with daily handmade noodles produced from local flour, a house-fermented black bean sauce using traditional Korean processes, and a kitchen layout designed for labor efficiency.

The brand scaled to 230 stores in Korea over 13 years on this minimalist-menu thesis before launching international franchising in 2019 across the United States, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Australia, bringing the global store count past 1,000. Paik's Noodle entered Australia in 2022 with a flagship at 470 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne CBD, and has publicly targeted nine Australian locations, with Glen Waverley and Caulfield North confirmed as the next two sites. Revenue derives from three streams: direct food and beverage sales at owned and franchise stores, franchise fees and licensing for new operators, and third-party delivery / takeaway orders under a 30-minute delivery promise.

The brand's customer base is individual diners seeking quick Korean Chinese meals for lunch and dinner, served through in-store dining, online ordering, and delivery partners. Franchisees form a secondary B2B customer segment, sold on simplified onboarding, training, completed supply chain, and management support from TheBorn Korea. Marketing is anchored by Paik Jong-won's personal media presence — a YouTube channel ("Paik's Cuisine") with 5.2M+ subscribers, multiple Korean TV programs (KBS, MBC, tvN, SBS), and Netflix appearances — which functions as an organic top-of-funnel channel far cheaper than paid equivalents. Pricing is not publicly disclosed on the company website.

Name

Paik's Noodle

Legal name

TheBorn Korea Inc.

Website

https://paiksnoodle.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Paik's Noodle is a Korean Chinese quick-service restaurant franchise founded in 2006 in Seoul by celebrity chef Paik Jong-won, serving signature jajangmyeon, jjamppong, and tang-suyuk. It operates 1,000+ stores globally under TheBorn Korea, with Australian franchise expansion underway from a Melbourne CBD flagship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Korean Chinese Quick-Service Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Asian Fast Casual (Pan-Asian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean) (THAFABAE)

Keywords

• Korean Chinese cuisine
• Quick service restaurant
• Noodle restaurant chain
• Restaurant franchise network
• Jajangmyeon noodles

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct Restaurant Sales: Revenue from food and beverage sales at company-owned and franchise restaurant locations. Quick-service model with noodle dishes, main dishes, and fried rice offerings.
2. Franchise Fees and Licensing: Revenue generated from franchise partnerships, including simplified onboarding, training, and operational model support provided to franchisees.
3. Delivery and Takeaway Services: Revenue from delivery orders through third-party delivery partners and takeaway services, targeting quick lunch and dinner options.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Paik's Noodle operates Korean Chinese style quick-service restaurants serving a focused menu of signature dishes built around daily handmade noodles and a house-made fermented black bean sauce. Core dishes include jajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodles), jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), tang-suyuk (sweet and sour pork), and fried rice options, sold through company-owned stores, a global franchise network, third-party delivery, and online ordering.

Product overview

Paik's Noodle is a Korean Chinese style quick-service restaurant chain founded by celebrity chef Paik Jong-won (Baek Jong-won) in Seoul, Korea in 2006. The brand operates as a single unified restaurant concept focused on a simplified menu of signature Korean-Chinese noodle dishes. Their core products include hand-made daily noodles with house-made fermented black bean sauce, featuring signature dishes like Jajang-myeon (Black Bean Sauce Noodles), Jaengban Jajang (Seafood Black Bean Sauce), Gochu Jajang (Spicy Black Bean Sauce), Jjamppong (Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup), and various main dishes including Tang-suyuk (Sweet and Sour Pork) and fried rice options. The brand operates on a franchise model with over 1,000 stores worldwide. Australian operations include a flagship CBD store in Melbourne with expansion planned for Glen Waverley and Caulfield locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Paik's Noodle: Korean Chinese style noodle restaurant brand specializing in signature dishes including jajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodles), jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), and tang-suyuk (sweet and sour pork). Known as the No. 1 Korean Noodle Brand with over 1,000 stores worldwide.

Products and services

• Jajang-myeon (Black Bean Sauce Noodles) Korean black bean sauce noodles with stir-fried pork and vegetables; the signature dish and brand representative menu item for Paik's Noodle.
• Jaengban Jajang (Seafood Black Bean Sauce Noodles) Seafood black bean sauce noodles with stir-fried shrimp, squid, and vegetables.
• Gochu Jajang (Spicy Black Bean Sauce Noodles) Spicy black bean sauce noodles topped with hot chili peppers.
• Bokkeum Jjamppong (Spicy Chow Mein) Spicy Chow Mein with pork, shrimp, squid, and assorted vegetables in special oyster sauce.
• Gochu Jjamppong (Spicy Chili Peppers Noodle Soup) Extra spicy jjamppong noodle soup with hot chili peppers, featuring pork, squid, and mussel.
• Jjamppong (Spicy Noodle Soup) Spicy seafood noodle soup with fresh vegetables, pork, and squid.
• Gochu Yuringi Deep-fried chicken topped with sweet and sour soy sauce and hot chili peppers.
• Tang-suyuk (Sweet and Sour Pork) Deep-fried pork served with assorted vegetables in special sweet and sour sauce; signature side dish and one of the "holy trinity" items highlighted by customers.
• Cream Saeu (Cream Prawn) Deep-fried prawn served with mayonnaise cream sauce.
• Chili Saeu (Sweet Chili Prawn) Deep-fried prawn served with sweet and spicy chili sauce.
• Beef Bokkeumbap (Beef Fried Rice) Fried rice with tender beef brisket, various vegetables, and eggs.
• Veggie Bokkeumbap (Veggie Fried Rice) Stir-fried rice with nutritious ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, and green peas.
• Jajang-bap (Black Bean Sauce Rice with Omelet) Steamed rice topped with Korean black bean sauce and a large omelet.
• Paik's Noodle Restaurant Franchise Franchise opportunity offering simplified onboarding, training, operational model, completed supply chain, and management support for entrepreneurs opening Paik's Noodle branded restaurants.

Quantifiable outcome

• High customer satisfaction with quick service model
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Born Korea Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaik's Noodle is operated under The Born Korea Inc., the parent company founded by CEO Paik Jong-won. The Born manages 30 different restaurant brands and 2000+ branches across 8 countries, spreading Korean cuisine globally. Paik's Noodle represents one of the flagship brands in this portfolio.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Chatime: Taiwanese bubble tea QSR with extensive franchise network across Australia and globally. Comparable to Paik's Noodle as an Asian-origin QSR/franchise brand that has scaled internationally, including a strong Australian franchise presence.
• Marugame Udon: Japanese noodle QSR with hundreds of locations across Asia and internationally. Comparable to Paik's Noodle as an Asian noodle quick-service brand that has scaled through a simplified menu focused on signature noodle bowls.
• Wagamama: Asian fast casual restaurant chain specializing in noodle dishes with global locations. Directly comparable to Paik's Noodle on Asian noodle QSR positioning, simplified menu of signature Asian dishes, and international franchise expansion model.
• Gong Cha: Taiwanese tea QSR with global franchise operations. Comparable to Paik's Noodle as an Asian-origin QSR/franchise brand that has scaled internationally through a simplified, signature-focused menu.
• Din Tai Fung: Asian restaurant brand specializing in noodles and dumplings with strong international presence. Comparable to Paik's Noodle as an Asian noodle/dumpling chain that has successfully expanded from its home market into Australia and beyond on the strength of a signature item and consistent execution.
• Jollibee: Filipino fast food chain with large global footprint and aggressive international franchise expansion. Comparable to Paik's Noodle as an Asian QSR brand leveraging cultural identity to expand into Western markets through franchising.

Broad incumbents

• McDonald's: Largest global QSR incumbent with deep Australian presence and delivery infrastructure. Comparable to Paik's Noodle as a competing quick-service brand for value-conscious lunch and dinner occasions, including delivery.
• Hungry Jack's: Australia's leading homegrown QSR chain. Comparable to Paik's Noodle as a competitor in the Australian quick-service restaurant market, particularly on price, speed, and lunch-occasion convenience.
• KFC: Global QSR incumbent with extensive Australian footprint. Comparable to Paik's Noodle as a competing QSR for the same lunch and dinner occasions, particularly for quick-service delivery and takeaway.

Emerging players

• Kura Sushi: Japanese conveyor-belt sushi QSR with international expansion including the US. Comparable to Paik's Noodle as an Asian QSR concept applying a differentiated service format (conveyor belt) to scale Japanese cuisine internationally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/paikscuisine
• Xx.com/paiks_noodle
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Paik's Noodle