韓國式漢堡包試圖在美國紮根

Americans are used to hearing about the latest McDonald’s opening in a remote part of the world, but it’s unusual to see a foreign food franchise setting up in the United States, especially one selling the most quintessential of American foods: hamburgers.

美國人通常習慣聽說世界哪個角落又要一家麥當勞開張了，但是外國食品連鎖店在美國開張、而且賣的居然是道地的美國貨、漢堡包，還是件新鮮事兒。

However, one plucky chain of Korean restaurants is doing just that, and recently opened its first U.S. branch in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC.

最近，一家韓國連鎖店在美國正式開張，地點就選在美國首都華盛頓郊外馬里蘭州的伯賽斯塔市。

Grace Lee, the vice president of business development for Kraze Burger, Inc., said her colleagues considered several Korean franchises to bring to the U.S. and were met with some skepticism when they decided on a burger chain.

格雷絲·李是“瘋狂漢堡”公司業務發展部門的一位負責人。她說，開始的時候，大家考慮過將好幾個不同的韓國連鎖店，搬到美國來試一試，最後決定打出“瘋狂漢堡”；決定做出以後，並不是各方立即說好；一開始，她說，好多人都開玩笑，說真地要把韓國泡菜拿到美國來賣？意思是這個主意恐怕行不通。

“There were a lot of kimchi jokes,” she said.

Kraze, pronounced “crazy,” started in 1998 and was inspired by an American hamburger chain called Johnny Rockets. It has grown quickly, and there are now over 100 locations in Korea. The company has recently expanded to Singapore, Hong Kong and Macao, with plans to open five outlets in the DC area through 2012. Further expansion to Canada, Japan and Australia isn’t far off, according to the company.

“瘋狂漢堡”連鎖店最初是在美國一家漢堡包連鎖店“強尼火箭”的啓發下，於1998年在韓國首度開張的。“瘋狂漢堡”自從開張以後，生意很不錯，目前在韓國各地擁有100多家分店。公司最近還擴展到新加坡、香港和澳門，並且計劃在明年年底之前，在美國首都華盛頓地區開設五家分店。與此同時，“瘋狂漢堡”還有計劃在加拿大、日本、以及澳大利亞開設分店。

One patron, Terra Hollander, a Korean-American now living in Bethesda, said she was familiar with Kraze before it opened near her and thought it could do well in the U.S.

霍蘭德是住在馬里蘭州伯賽斯塔的一位韓裔美國人。她說，在伯賽斯塔的這家分店開張以前，她就比較熟悉“瘋狂漢堡”，在她看來，“瘋狂漢堡”在美國也會成功的。

“I think it’s very different from American hamburgers,” she said. “It’s less greasy, and I think the ingredients are more healthy.”

她說：“我認爲，‘瘋狂漢堡’實際上和美式漢堡很不同；不那麼油，而且用料也都比較健康。”

Another customer, Gail Kauffman of Bethesda, called Kraze “bright, cheery and delicious.”

考芙曼是伯賽斯塔當地的一位住戶。她說，“瘋狂漢堡”味道很不錯，而且還很“亮麗”。

There are some differences between the Korean and American versions of Kraze. The biggest, perhaps, is the “My Burger” offering which allows customers to build their own burger. Americans demand choices, whether it be in the cars they buy or the hamburgers they eat. And so far, "My Burger" accounts for 70 percent of sales at the Bethesda store. Korea has a pared down version of the concept, but it only makes up about five percent of sales there.

“瘋狂漢堡”的美國版和韓國版還有一些不同。在美國分店裏賣的漢堡種類裏面，有“我的漢堡”這一選項，顧客可以任意選擇用料；原因大概是美國人喜歡選擇比較多，不管是買汽車、還是吃漢堡。到目前爲止，在伯賽斯塔這家分店賣出的漢堡裏面，有70%都是自制漢堡這一類的。在韓國，也有自制漢堡這一選項，但是，在那裏，自制漢堡的銷售，只佔總銷售量的5%。Another difference is that in Korea, diners often eat hamburgers with a knife and fork, so the burgers are served cut in half. In the U.S., they’re served whole. Kraze also offers several salad options, two kinds of vegetarian burgers, and you can choose grilled asparagus spears instead of French fries.

另外，在韓國，人們一般是使用刀叉吃漢堡包的，那裏的漢堡包一般送到顧客手上時，一般都是一切兩半的；但是在美國，賣出的漢堡包都是整個的。另外，“瘋狂漢堡”還給顧客好幾個蔬菜沙拉選項，還有兩種素食類漢堡包。另外，你也可以選擇不要炸薯條，而是點烤盧筍。

U.S. CEO Richard MacDowell said the idea to bring Kraze to the States came in a roundabout way.

理查德·麥可道是“瘋狂漢堡”在美國的執行總裁。他介紹了將“瘋狂漢堡”搬到美國來的經歷。

“I’d been working with the Korean-American community in northern Virginia for the past several years, assisting them with Small Business Administration [SBA] loans,” he said, referring to the federally funded agency tasked with helping small businesses. “We found they could get better rates through franchises, so we cast about to franchises.”

他說：“過去幾年來，我一直在和住在華盛頓郊外維吉尼亞州的韓裔美國人一起做事；主要是幫助他們申請聯邦政府給予小企業的貸款。在這個過程中，我們發現，要是申請給連鎖店貸款，利率會更好，所以就開始考慮連鎖店生意。”

That was the easy part. Adjusting to the American work culture has been a little eye opening.

找到一家合適的連鎖店並不是很難，但是，要讓韓國人適應美國就業領域的文化，似乎需要一些調整。

“In Korea, there’s no overtime,” Lee said. “They work all the time, including 14-hour shifts. It’s an eight to nine hour shift here.”

負責“瘋狂漢堡”業務發展的格雷絲·李說：“在韓國，沒有超時這一說；人們總是不停地工作，好多時候要連續工作14個小時；但是在這裏，一個工作日只有八到九個小時。”

Despite the shorter workdays, MacDowell says the demands are still high.

儘管工作時間不是那麼長，但是，理查德·麥可道說，公司對僱員的要求還是很嚴格的。

“There’s a really strong training program, and when they bring their chefs and training people here, there’s a culture shock about what’s expected,” he said. “Our primary trainer has been here night and day. He’s working 16 hours a day - an amazing level of commitment.”

他說：“我們對於培訓的要求很嚴；總部派廚師到這邊來培訓的時候，美國當地的僱員都對要求之嚴，感到有些不適應。主要負責培訓的人員一直不分白天黑夜在那兒忙着；他可真是一天要工作上16個小時，對工作真是非常地投入。”

In recent years, there has been a boom in the American premium, or gourmet, burger market. In the DC area alone, there are several companies already established, which will make it a tough market for a new arrival. But MacDowell thinks Kraze can compete.

最近一些年來，在美國，好吃的、有特色的漢堡包似乎很有市場；光是在首都華盛頓地區，就有好幾家漢堡專賣店；在這種情勢下，要擠進這個市場，恐怕不是那麼容易；但是，麥可道說，“瘋狂漢堡”有競爭力。

“What we’ve tried to do is focus on the healthy alternatives and high quality,” he said. “It’s not just meat eaters that can have a good dining experience.”

他說：“我們的專長是健康因素和高質量，不光是愛吃肉的人可以享受漢堡包。”

On a recent lunchtime visit to the Bethesda store, business was brisk despite no marketing or advertising efforts. So far, Lee said about one third of the clientele has been Korean-Americans who wonder if it’s the same Kraze they know from the other side of the world.

前不久，在伯賽斯塔分店這裏，午餐時間，店裏的生意似乎好得很；而且公司到目前爲止，還沒有打廣告。格雷絲·李說，目前來這裏用餐的，有三分之一都是韓裔美國人；這些顧客都想知道，“瘋狂漢堡”到美國以後，是否還是同樣的“瘋狂”。