Bonchon restaurant coming to Jonesboro

A South Korean based restaurant will open its first location in Arkansas and it will be in Jonesboro.

Haag Brown Commercial Real Estate and Development has announced that Bonchon – which means “my hometown” in Korean – will open a restaurant in the former Premier Auto center on Red Wolf Boulevard.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Construction on the 2,000-square –foot space will being soon, Hagg Brown commercial executive broker Zac Qualls said.

Qualls represented both the location developer and the franchisee in the transaction. Baskin Robbins and Stanton Optical have already signed lease agreements in the development.

“It was great getting to work with a local franchisee who wanted to bring something new to Jonesboro. Location and visibility were important so naturally, the Premier Auto redevelopment was the perfect spot for Bonchon. I can’t wait for the community to try this fresh, new concept and top lunch or dinner off with some Baskin Robbins ice cream,” he said.

Bonchon was founded by Jinsuk Seo in 2002 in Busan, South Korea. It’s offerings include a variety of chicken and sauces.

The company opened its first U.S. restaurant in 2006, according to the data company ScrapeHero. The latest number of restaurants in the U.S. is 139, with 27 of them located in California. Most of the rest are clustered along the east coast, in Chicago and Dallas.