According to Theborn Korea, the Carrollton location has seen its average monthly sales rise by approximately 70% compared with its first year of operation. The restaurant opened in September 2023, while its revenue last year reportedly increased by around 38% from the previous year.
The company did not disclose the location’s actual revenue figures, meaning the reported growth rates cannot be independently compared with the store’s overall sales volume.
The restaurant’s popularity was also recently featured by Korean travel YouTube channel Young-al-nam YAN, which has more than 1.2 million subscribers.
In the video, customers could be seen eating Korean barbecue in an environment designed to resemble a restaurant in Korea, with meat grilled at the table alongside drinks and side dishes.
Samgyeopsal was priced at $34.99 per serving. The YouTuber said the restaurant reminded him of eating in Seoul’s Hongdae district and praised the freshness of the vegetables, side dishes and food.
After his meal, he asked an employee about the waitlist and was told that the restaurant had reached numbers in the 100s. Customers could also be seen continuing to wait outside late at night.
Baek announced in May 2025 that he would suspend television appearances, excluding programs already being filmed, and concentrate on Theborn Korea after the company faced a series of controversies involving food safety, product labeling and other business practices.
At the time, Baek said he would focus his efforts on the company’s growth as a businessman rather than as a television personality.
The reported performance of the Texas restaurant drew a skeptical response from some commenters, with several questioning the lack of actual revenue figures and noting that the report centered on a single U.S. location. Others acknowledged that Baek appeared to be succeeding financially despite the criticism surrounding him.
Netizen Reactions
The comments were largely skeptical or critical, although one commenter acknowledged Baek’s ability to make money and another framed his renewed focus on franchising as an obvious consequence of leaving television.
1. Poison toad~
2. The reporter is just running an advertisement this blatantly? ㅋㅋ
3. Wow, now he’ll probably go around saying in English that he invented samgyeopsal ㅋㅋ
4. Those poor owners from Baek Jong-won’s Alley Restaurant....
5. Baek Jong-won is a businessman. He doesn’t know a single thing about food.
6. Are they going around over there saying Baek Jong-won invented daepae samgyeopsal too?
7. Either way, he sure knows how to make money. Impressive.
8. “The Saemaeul Restaurant in Carrollton, Texas, has seen steady revenue growth since opening in September 2023...” They only give the growth percentages without saying what last year’s actual sales were or what they became after increasing 70%. There’s no real substance. And if you didn’t know better, you might think dozens of franchise locations were doing amazingly well, but it’s one store. They’re doing media play like, “It’s a huge hit in America!!” over a single location.
9. Personally, let’s leave it at making good money and running a successful business!! Hopefully he doesn’t get into politics.
10. ■ I guess he stopped his side job as a TV personality and has been working hard at his main job running franchises... Is that too obvious? ■
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