POCATELLO — Legend says if you eat Cupbop, you poop gold.

The legend in this scenario is Junghun Song, the founder of the first fast-casual Korean Barbecue restaurant brand in the United States. And this comical one-liner is one of many in Song’s arsenal, according to Kevin Santiago, a Cupbop franchisee who will own the location set to open in the Gate City around the first quarter of 2024.

“When we opened our first store in Boise, one of Song’s sayings was, ‘Eat Cupbop, poop gold,’ and we had people coming in saying they had no idea who our marketing team was but that they found it insulting that we were using bathroom humor to promote our stuff,” Santiago said. “But in Korea it's a real thing, if you eat healthy you poop gold.”

A restaurant that emphasizes fresh, high-quality ingredients, the Cupbop craze has taken off ever since Song and Dok Kwon, the company’s chief executive officer, appeared on ABC’s “Shark Tank” in May 2022.

According to an article published on foodrepublic.com in August, Song and Kwon went on "Shark Tank" asking for a $1 million investment for 3 percent of Cupbop, giving the company a valuation of $33.3 million. It sounded like a lot, but Cupbop's figures were impressive, with sales for that year predicted to hit $18.7 million, the article states. Cupbop sold each dish for $8 to $10, at a cost of $1.80 to $2.50, giving a gross margin of about 75 percent. Profits continued to grow during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Cupbop pivoted to takeout and delivery services while its restaurants were closed, according to the article.

All five Sharks made offers, but in the end, the brand struck a deal with Mark Cuban, accepting $1 million in exchange for a 5 percent stake in the business.

“It’s been really fun to see it grow,” Santiago said. “Song is just a really dynamic, down-to-earth and hard-working guy. It is so much fun to be involved with them. Their mission is that they want Cupbop to be the first national Korean brand. Their appearance on the show was really impactful. I had so many people tell me they watched that episode and cried.”

Santiago continued, “This is like the American dream, right? Song came here to learn to speak English and Dok came over thinking he was coming on vacation and his parents just left him here with family and went back to Korea. This is the true American dream. They came over here and have worked so hard to accumulate this success.”

Serving up tasty noodles, both regular and a gluten-free option, Cupbop offers a unique take on Korean BBQ classics, served in a cup. The Pocatello store will be located at 515 E. Benton St., which was the former site of an Idaho Central Credit Union branch before the new branch building was constructed across the street.

“The craze is just really tasty food with Korean flavors,” Santiago said. “The flavor profile is so unique and so good. We make each bowl with rice, cabbage, noodles, a Korean protein — pork, chicken, beef or tofu — and then top it with sauce. It’s hot, fresh and just really delicious. It’s really quick, too, so you can grab it on the go.”

In fact, Cupbop is so good that Song jokingly tells customers to slap him in the face if they don’t like his food, said Santiago, adding that he first met Song about a decade ago before the brand transitioned from food trucks to brick-and-mortar restaurants.

“We have another saying, ‘Shhh, just eat,’ because when Song first came over he could barely speak any English and people were asking him all these questions and he felt so uncomfortable speaking English that he would just say that to them,” Santiago said. “He is such a character that he would tell people, ‘You don’t like my food, slap my face.’”

Song founded the company in 2013, which began as a food truck in Salt Lake City. The brand quickly captured the attention of locals and tourists, but didn’t open for franchise opportunities until late 2022. Before that, Santiago was the only franchisee that had been grandfathered in since 2017.

“When I saw him at the first food truck roundup in Salt Lake there were probably six food trucks there with about two or three in lines for the others while Song had over 100 people in line for Cupbop,” Santiago said. “That’s how we met him. I went over and told him that he needed to open some stores.”

As of February, Cupbop boasted over 48 storefronts, six food trucks and several arena concession locations in the U.S., including the home court for the Utah Jazz. The company also has over 160 stores in Indonesia.

Pocatello will mark Santiago's 24th storefront location and he’s looking forward to bringing several new jobs to a market that he has been excited to enter for quite some time.

“We’ve had a ton of success in Idaho,” Santiago said. “We have four stores in Boise and one more under construction. We opened in Twin Falls, Rexburg and also in Idaho Falls. The people of Idaho really love our flavors, that hearty, homemade comfort food that is filling and the value is there.”

Santiago says each Cupbop location typically employs anywhere from 12 to 20 people in the store, adding that the company really makes an effort and takes pride in the opportunity to get involved with the local community.

“We do things where we give gift cards to the local high school coaches and tell them to hand them out to whoever is hustling the most in practice, right,” Santiago said. “We love to do fundraisers and we’ll try to get involved with as many Idaho State University events that we can. Our general managers are treated more like operating partners and a big part of their responsibility is to integrate into the community.”

While Cupbop is still a few months out from setting up shop in the Gate City, Santiago says the wait will be well worth it once they arrive. Local residents will want to keep their eyes and ears open over the next couple months as the local Cupbop nears its opening.

“We’re going to have a huge grand opening where we give away hats and other swag and have all our bowls marked down to $5.99,” Santiago said. “We will definitely have a line but it moves really quick. We can’t wait to serve the local residents of Pocatello and are looking forward to our future in what is such a great small town.”