Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Chang
Hi Sean, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was in a motor vehicle accident in January of 2016, my second semester freshman year of college. I fell asleep on the wheel, one of those dosing off and on moments from being so tired, you know the feeling right? I had a moment a clarity right before a roundabout where I promptly slammed my brakes; yes I wanted to move over to the straight lane but there was a car next to me that I did not want to hit into, so I ultimately went flying while in the car, hitting a ditch, and instantly lost sensation and movement of my legs. Little did I know, I sustained a spinal cord injury that night. I was screaming, panicking, not knowing that this would be the start of a whole new life.
I had a spinal fusion of my T10-L3 vertebrae, which lasted a whole 8 hours. The moments into the E.R, having to call my parents, let them know what happened, remembering vividly their eyes tear up, looking their son not knowing if he’ll get better, it was all so terrifying. But I had a quick prayer that gave me assurance that despite not knowing what life could be in that moment, things would be okay; that’s how life works when you keep moving forward.
I came out of my surgery, completely drugged off dilaudid (boy that stuff HITS!), with not a clue of what was going to happen next. I went to Shepherd Center in Atlanta to receive PT and OT to learn how to live a new normal. It was here, my co founder and best friend Peter Chung, came to visit me. We first met through a church retreat years back and hadn’t seen each other since, but he made an effort to come visit me. We caught up and he asked if I wanted to be roommates. – side note: I had made a decision to quit my path of premed to go into hospitality. I wanted to cook for people or at least explore that door. I already had intentions of dropping out that year and try to stage in Europe somehow.
While living with Peter, I was taking my hospitality courses, networking in the industry, trying to get my toes dipped into the scene all despite figuring out what my new normal was and trying to navigate how the heck to pursue a career in hospitality despite being in the wheelchair.
I was still traveling, still eating, still learning, but I was also cooking for people at our small apartment at Camden down the street from Shepherd Center as well as talking with Peter, who at the time worked at notable restaurants such as Polaris and Umi, about different restaurant ideas and concepts.
After we both graduated, we were still sold on the idea of opening up a business together. His FOH experience and my cooking background as well as hospitality, why couldn’t we try it?
We spent a whole year without any luck getting a location while also seeking funding, and finally landed at where we are at now. Mukja. It honestly started off being an idea for teriyaki bowls, something we missed from the West Coast, to doing Korean – American Fried Chicken. Sharing a story of our background as Korean Americans, utilizing both American and Korean flavors and techniques to create something delicious and to ultimately bring the community together to celebrate diversity here in Atlanta.
We came up with the logo at a Checker’s drive thru. We were waiting for our order and I had an “AHA!” moment where I drew it on the napkin and that’s how the logo came to be. This is just a peek and generalized summary of how Mukja went from a life changing accident to a brick and mortar location in Atlanta.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road at all. First off, trying to open a restaurant without any ownership experience means that we were babies going into very heavy legal things. Lease agreements require extensive amount of negotiation and money for lawyers to make sure you’re not getting screwed (even with it we still got screwed a bit! haha). Nobody wants to take a chance on the new guy, especially with a concept so foreign. Plus, when we finally signed our lease, covid started and shut down everything. It was a pain to do construction, get permits, and try to open with a landlord breathing down our neck to pay rent despite us not even being able to open our store to make our first sale.
Even after all that, we opened October 2020 with no dine in, no vaccine, 6 ft apart, and people not really knowing what a Korean – American fried chicken concept could be. We were fighting an uphill battle. We almost closed our doors many times, but we managed to work it out a bit till now 5 years later. We’re still struggling to be honest, nothing has gotten better. Rent negotiations are still rough, labor and food cost continues to not have a ceiling in sight, people are getting stretched in their dollars, and we’re still figuring out how to market ourselves to the people of Atlanta.
With covid changing how corporate america runs, the office spaces that we originally planned to serve, completely changed. And so we’ve been working on finding that bread and butter of our business. I will say, the locals definitely are the foundation of why we’re still around today.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I wear almost every hat at the restaurant. I literally do it all. Managerial work, culinary, foh, marketing, it’s what is needed as a sole small business owner. I’m known for my ability to be hospitable and speak to people. I think that skill has allowed me to find the right staff for my restaurant, get the clients we need, and be personable with our regulars. I’m proud I did this, but I’m still not where I want to be.
What sets me apart from others? Creating a concept that enjoys feedback from my customers and building a business upon that. I love feedback, I love dialogue, I love being able to let me customers feel like they’re growing with us here at Mukja.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
We honest and transparent. At at time where businesses were struggling, we made the change to just let our followers know what the heck is going on. Sharing our trials and tribulations, the reality of business, how we need help, by being vulnerable, we were able to let Mukja be a brand that’s personal. Yes, you heard that. A restaurant, a place to “just eat”, can be relatable and personable when you open the doors and share your good, bad, ugly, and beauty.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mukjaatl.com
- Instagram: mukjaatl
