韩国式汉堡包试图在美国扎根

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.

美国人通常习惯听说世界哪个角落又要一家麦当劳开张了，但是外国食品连锁店在美国开张、而且卖的居然是道地的美国货、汉堡包，还是件新鲜事儿。

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，一家韩国连锁店在美国正式开张，地点就选在美国首都华盛顿郊外马里兰州的伯赛斯塔市。

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.

格雷丝·李是“疯狂汉堡”公司业务发展部门的一位负责人。她说，开始的时候，大家考虑过将好几个不同的韩国连锁店，搬到美国来试一试，最后决定打出“疯狂汉堡”；决定做出以后，并不是各方立即说好；一开始，她说，好多人都开玩笑，说真地要把韩国泡菜拿到美国来卖？意思是这个主意恐怕行不通。

“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.

“疯狂汉堡”连锁店最初是在美国一家汉堡包连锁店“强尼火箭”的启发下，于1998年在韩国首度开张的。“疯狂汉堡”自从开张以后，生意很不错，目前在韩国各地拥有100多家分店。公司最近还扩展到新加坡、香港和澳门，并且计划在明年年底之前，在美国首都华盛顿地区开设五家分店。与此同时，“疯狂汉堡”还有计划在加拿大、日本、以及澳大利亚开设分店。

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.

霍兰德是住在马里兰州伯赛斯塔的一位韩裔美国人。她说，在伯赛斯塔的这家分店开张以前，她就比较熟悉“疯狂汉堡”，在她看来，“疯狂汉堡”在美国也会成功的。

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

她说：“我认为，‘疯狂汉堡’实际上和美式汉堡很不同；不那么油，而且用料也都比较健康。”

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

考芙曼是伯赛斯塔当地的一位住户。她说，“疯狂汉堡”味道很不错，而且还很“亮丽”。

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.

“疯狂汉堡”的美国版和韩国版还有一些不同。在美国分店里卖的汉堡种类里面，有“我的汉堡”这一选项，顾客可以任意选择用料；原因大概是美国人喜欢选择比较多，不管是买汽车、还是吃汉堡。到目前为止，在伯赛斯塔这家分店卖出的汉堡里面，有70%都是自制汉堡这一类的。在韩国，也有自制汉堡这一选项，但是，在那里，自制汉堡的销售，只占总销售量的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，在韩国，人们一般是使用刀叉吃汉堡包的，那里的汉堡包一般送到顾客手上时，一般都是一切两半的；但是在美国，卖出的汉堡包都是整个的。另外，“疯狂汉堡”还给顾客好几个蔬菜沙拉选项，还有两种素食类汉堡包。另外，你也可以选择不要炸薯条，而是点烤卢笋。

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

理查德·麦可道是“疯狂汉堡”在美国的执行总裁。他介绍了将“疯狂汉堡”搬到美国来的经历。

“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.”

他说：“过去几年来，我一直在和住在华盛顿郊外维吉尼亚州的韩裔美国人一起做事；主要是帮助他们申请联邦政府给予小企业的贷款。在这个过程中，我们发现，要是申请给连锁店贷款，利率会更好，所以就开始考虑连锁店生意。”

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

找到一家合适的连锁店并不是很难，但是，要让韩国人适应美国就业领域的文化，似乎需要一些调整。

“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.”

负责“疯狂汉堡”业务发展的格雷丝·李说：“在韩国，没有超时这一说；人们总是不停地工作，好多时候要连续工作14个小时；但是在这里，一个工作日只有八到九个小时。”

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

尽管工作时间不是那么长，但是，理查德·麦可道说，公司对雇员的要求还是很严格的。

“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.”

他说：“我们对于培训的要求很严；总部派厨师到这边来培训的时候，美国当地的雇员都对要求之严，感到有些不适应。主要负责培训的人员一直不分白天黑夜在那儿忙着；他可真是一天要工作上16个小时，对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.

最近一些年来，在美国，好吃的、有特色的汉堡包似乎很有市场；光是在首都华盛顿地区，就有好几家汉堡专卖店；在这种情势下，要挤进这个市场，恐怕不是那么容易；但是，麦可道说，“疯狂汉堡”有竞争力。

“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.”

他说：“我们的专长是健康因素和高质量，不光是爱吃肉的人可以享受汉堡包。”

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，在伯赛斯塔分店这里，午餐时间，店里的生意似乎好得很；而且公司到目前为止，还没有打广告。格雷丝·李说，目前来这里用餐的，有三分之一都是韩裔美国人；这些顾客都想知道，“疯狂汉堡”到美国以后，是否还是同样的“疯狂”。