KosoFresh (Formerly BibiFresh), Bibimbap Gets the "Chipotle Quick Serve" Treatment - Headquartered in Astoria - Closed

[Tweaked]

Marja Vongerichten enters the quick serve market. Opening soon:

"Marja Vongerichten Launches BiBiFresh, a Roving Bibimbap-up" by Hugh Merwin on newyork.grubstreet.com

[DonRocks]

Marja Vongerichten enters the quick serve market. Opening soon:

From everything I can see, they have a "concept" without having announced any locations. That said, I'm sure they have the first location in mind, and designs on becoming something similar to Shophouse Asian Kitchen. Better than McDonald's, I guess, albeit twice as expensive.

Quick-serve restaurants, in general, are a snooze. I'm sure this place is going to be good, and might even be healthy if they watch the sugar and MSG, and source their meats mindfully. But I just know *exactly* what it's going to be like. It's funny, because one of our members had this very same concept (quick-serve Korean) several years ago, and we even met and discussed its merits several times - I was all over it as being a great business idea, and I still think it is. Now, it's a footrace.

[DonRocks]

Marja Vongerichten enters the quick serve market. Opening soon:

"Marja Vongerichten Launches BiBiFresh, a Roving Bibimbap-up" by Hugh Merwin on newyork.grubstreet.com

It looks like on Nov 19, 2012, BibiFresh officially changed its name to KosoFresh.

Amazingly, Vongerichten's original partner is John-Paul Lee, who owned Fuji restaurant in Arlington, VA for one year. Fuji restaurant! That nasty-looking place on North Glebe Road!

I can't find anything that shows Vongerichten is still involved, but there are some things on the internet about Lee - if anyone has any more information, I'd be interested to know.

I'm not even sure anything is open, but my *goodness* they have an active Facebook page - it almost seems like they're running around NYC doing a bunch of little pop-ups.

[DPop]

I actually went to school with JP Lee.  Nice guy, but this and his tea business always seemed like flash-in-the-pan ideas. I can't find an actual physical location anywhere, it looks like they do street vendor service for the most part around NYC (including a spot in the lobby of the PwC NYC office).