Hospitality Series Pt. 3: Simon Kim on Breaking Steakhouse Rules, Redefining Fried Chicken, and Going Global!!

About this episode

In this episode, Simon Kim discusses reinventing the steakhouse experience and the challenges of scaling a restaurant brand.

It’s part 3 of our series on restaurant hospitality, and this week Adrienne and Joe are joined by James Beard nominee Simon Kim, the man behind COTE Korean Steakhouse and COQODAQ. In this episode, we discuss: Reinventing the steakhouse by blending Korean BBQ with classic American fine dining Building COTE and COQODAQ and redefining what a modern restaurant can be Betting on yourself: overcoming investor doubt and financial pressure The role of the restaurateur as a “producer” behind the scenes Creating the perfect dining experience Balancing creativity with business realities in today’s restaurant industry What it really takes to scale a restaurant brand across cities and markets Walk-In Confession: Facing racism in fine dining while working the floor Follow Simon: @simonkimnyc Follow the show: @chefscutpod Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham Follow Joe: @insta.flamm

People in this episode

Hosts: Adrienne, Joe

Guest: Simon Kim

Topics covered

• restaurant hospitality
• steakhouse innovation
• Korean BBQ
• fine dining
• restaurant scaling
• dining experience
• overcoming challenges

Keywords

• hospitality
• steakhouse
• Korean BBQ
• fine dining
• restaurant industry
• dining experience
• investor doubt
• creativity
• racism in dining

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: COTE Korean Steakhouse, COQODAQ, James Beard

More episodes of The Chef's Cut

• EXCLUSIVE: Top Chef Winner Reveals What It Took to Become Season 23 Champion!! · June 9, 2026 · 43 min
• Top Chef Final 3! An Inside View on the Chaos and Competition!! · June 2, 2026 · 46 min
• Reservation Wars, AI in the Dining Room, and the Future of Hospitality!! · May 25, 2026 · 41 min
• Our Spicy Takes On The New York Times Top 100 Restaurants & A New Show Launch for Food and History Lovers!! · May 18, 2026 · 32 min
• Tristen Epps-Long on Fast Food Beginnings, Michelin’s Race Problem, and Becoming a Top Chef Champion!! · May 11, 2026 · 52 min
• This Merger Could Change What You Eat—and How Much You Pay For It · May 4, 2026 · 35 min