JAWS Food

What JAWS Food does

JAWS Food, operating through its legal entity Jaws tpk Corporation, is a Korean street food restaurant franchise founded in 2007 by CEO Sang Kyun Nah and headquartered in Buena Park, California. The company serves Korean street food — primarily topokki (spicy rice cakes), gimbap (Korean seaweed rice rolls), fried items, and beverages — through physical restaurant locations across nine US states (CA, GA, FL, IL, NJ, TX, NV) and an international location in Osaka, Japan. JAWS operates inside multiple H-mart grocery stores as a co-located retail channel, and offers catering services for corporate events, weddings, and private gatherings.

The product portfolio centers on the flagship Jaws Topokki brand and the 2024-launched Master Kim sub-brand, a premium Gimbap concept offering keto-friendly options that opened over 100 stores in its first year. Technology infrastructure is conventional QSR: Clover and Square point-of-sale systems, website-based ordering, and integrations with DoorDash, UberEats, Grubhub, and Postmates. The company also references an internal J.O.S. (Jaws Operation System) for franchise operational management and data-driven promotions. No proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, patents, or trademarks are disclosed.

Revenue is generated through three streams: franchise fees and royalties from franchisees, direct food and beverage sales at operated locations, and event catering. The go-to-market combines a small-scale franchise model (targeting California, New York, Florida, and Texas with training and headquarters support) with direct-to-consumer channels including physical retail, third-party delivery platforms, and catering. The company is privately held and founder-owned with no disclosed institutional investment, no public revenue figures, and no enterprise customer concentration.

Name

JAWS Food

Legal name

Jaws tpk Corporation

Website

https://jawstopokki.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

JAWS Food is a privately held Korean street food restaurant franchise founded in 2007, operating Jaws Topokki and Master Kim brands across nine US states and Japan. It serves general consumers seeking authentic topokki and gimbap via physical locations, H-mart in-store retail, delivery platforms, and catering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Korean Street Food Restaurant

NAICS

Special Food Services (7223), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

In-Store Sushi & Asian Prepared Foods (CRAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Korean street food
• Restaurant franchise
• Quick-service dining
• Event catering
• Korean cuisine

Headquarters

HQ city

Buena Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalties: JAWS Food generates revenue through franchise fees and ongoing royalties from franchisees who operate JAWS Topokki restaurants. The company provides comprehensive franchise support including training, marketing, and store operation management.
2. Food and Beverage Sales: Revenue from direct restaurant sales of Korean street food items including topokki, gimbap, fried items, and beverages at physical locations and through online ordering platforms.
3. Catering Services: Catering revenue from corporate events, family gatherings, birthdays, holiday parties, graduations, and weddings. Customized menus are offered to fit specific needs and budgets.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

JAWS Food is a Korean street food restaurant franchise that operates and licenses restaurants specializing in topokki (spicy rice cake dishes) and gimbap (Korean seaweed rice rolls). The company sells freshly prepared Korean street food through its own and franchised locations, extends its reach via the Master Kim sub-brand for premium gimbap, and offers catering services and franchise opportunities. Core revenue is driven by in-restaurant food and beverage sales, supplemented by franchise royalties and catering fees.

Product overview

JAWS Food is a Korean street food restaurant chain operating under the Jaws Topokki brand, offering a unified restaurant and catering business model. The core product portfolio centers on Topokki (spicy rice cakes) and Gimbap (Korean seaweed rice rolls), supplemented by various fried items and wraps. The company operates a sub-brand called Master Kim, a premium Gimbap concept offering keto-friendly options. JAWS Food also provides franchise opportunities with integrated management systems and offers catering services for events ranging from small gatherings to large corporate functions. The company differentiates through fresh, high-quality ingredients and authentic Korean flavors, with menu items ranging from traditional varieties to contemporary options like keto-friendly dishes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Master Kim: Master Kim is a premium Gimbap brand under the JAWS Food umbrella. Using only the highest quality ingredients and offering a variety of healthy menu options, including keto-friendly Gimbap, Master Kim has brought street food Gimbap to the next level. With opening over 100 stores for the first year of the brand launching, Master Kim is loved by people of all ages and backgrounds.

Products and services

• Jaws Topokki Restaurant Concept Quick-service Korean street food restaurant concept built around topokki and complementary dishes, sold to individual diners at company-operated and franchised locations.
• Master Kim Premium Gimbap Sub-brand Sub-brand offering focused on premium gimbap products, sold at JAWS Food restaurant locations and through grocery retail partnerships.
• Catering Services Bulk Korean street food catering for corporate offices, parties, and group events, providing high-volume meal solutions for organizations.
• Restaurant Franchise Program Franchise license package granting entrepreneurs the right to operate a JAWS Food-branded restaurant under the company's brand, recipes, operating standards, and supply chain.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 Master Kim stores opened in first year of brand launch

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• H-martcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor distribution partnership with H-mart grocery stores. JAWS Food operates inside multiple H-mart locations including San Diego (Balboa), Irvine, Westminster, Suwanee (GA), Orlando (FL), Urbana (IL), and Dallas (Harry Hines).
• DoorDashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary third-party delivery partner for online food ordering across most JAWS Food locations.
• UberEatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery platform partner for food delivery services.
• GrubhubsecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery platform partner at select locations including LA K-town, Buena Park, Chino Hills, Johns Creek, Suwanee, Las Vegas.
• PostmatessecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery platform partner at select locations including Chino Hills and Urbana.
• The Source OC MallcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail partnership for flagship store location at The Source OC shopping mall in Buena Park, CA (headquarters location).
• ClovercoreTechnology or IntegrationPoint-of-sale and online ordering system provider used by multiple JAWS Food franchise locations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• bb.q Chicken: bb.q Chicken is a Korean fried chicken and street-food franchise rapidly expanding across the US, using a comparable franchise distribution model and overlapping Korean cuisine positioning with JAWS.
• Paris Baguette: Paris Baguette is a large Korean-origin bakery café franchise with an extensive US store network and franchise model, comparable to JAWS's franchise expansion approach and Korean-brand positioning in the US market.
• Bonchon Chicken: Bonchon is a Korean-style fried chicken franchise with more than 100 US locations and a similar franchise-led expansion model targeting Korean-American and broader Asian-food consumers in the US.
• Tous Les Jours: Tous Les Jours is a Korean bakery café franchise with broad US presence and a similar franchise growth model, appealing to the same Korean-American consumer base that JAWS targets.

Broad incumbents

• Bibigo (CJ CheilJedang): Bibigo, run by Korean conglomerate CJ CheilJedang, operates Korean casual-dining and food retail in the US at significantly larger scale, competing with JAWS for the same Korean-food consumer occasion with deeper capital and brand reach.

Emerging players

• Gen Korean BBQ House: Gen Korean BBQ House is a fast-growing Korean BBQ chain with a US-wide footprint, competing with JAWS for Korean-cuisine dining occasions and a similar franchise-driven expansion model.
• Marugame Udon: Marugame Udon is a Japanese casual-dining chain expanding in the US, relevant as a comparable Asian-origin, single-category, fast-casual franchise concept targeting US consumers seeking accessible ethnic street food.
• Cupbop: Cupbop is a US-based Korean BBQ bowl quick-service concept with a multi-state footprint, overlapping JAWS's casual Korean street-food positioning and American suburban mall and strip-mall real estate approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/jawstopokkius
• Instagraminstagram.com/jawstopokki

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 JAWS Food