---
title: "Home Sweet Home: TaKorean Targets Its Birthplace for Further Growth"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/ea32b001-b850-4748-bd5c-daaaa76d89e4
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/home-sweet-home-takorean-targets-its-birthplace-for-further-growth-2720090
category: "Snacks & dessert"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Snacks & dessert"
published: 2022-10-19T21:16:32.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T01:15:49.847Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/bae1598b0e2d464c7525575cebacaec09063.jpg
---

# Home Sweet Home: TaKorean Targets Its Birthplace for Further Growth

**TL;DR:** TaKorean, a Korean taco grill concept, plans to open new locations in the DC area, specifically in North DC submarkets. The brand is also looking to expand into surrounding states, including Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2022-10-19. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/home-sweet-home-takorean-targets-its-birthplace-for-further-growth-2720090).*

## Story

TaKorean , the Korean taco grill concept, was initially born as a food truck in the DC area over a decade ago. Over the years, it has continued to adapt and now exists as a brick-and-mortar fast-casual restaurant. Through this growth, the community’s love for fresh, colorful Korean flavors has only strengthened.

“There are markets in DC that we’re not in yet where we could do well, and those are going to be toward North DC,” explained Mike Lenard , founder of TaKorean. “So, for example, Tenleytown, Friendship Heights, Tacoma Park and The Wharf. Those five submarkets could still support a TaKorean at a good volume.”

Though real estate is becoming a bit more difficult in the DC area, TaKorean has a preferred brokerage with which they’re both comfortable and very established.

Further, the core leadership team has a combined 50-plus years of experience in the DC area. The team is equipped with the firsthand knowledge necessary to guide prospective franchisees to good real estate selections and, possibly more importantly, convey why certain spots would not be a good fit.

“We are very intimately familiar with every single submarket in the whole DC region, particularly in Washington DC. And we see the failures of certain neighborhoods — how certain types of concepts and categories interact with a neighborhood and how they don’t,” Lenard added. “Some places need more casual restaurants, and others need full-service and high-end full-service restaurants. We’re uniquely positioned to know these details.”

Through all its growth, the TaKorean team is committed to providing flexibility to prospective franchisees and prioritizing healthy — rather than rushed — growth in order to partner with franchisees who are truly passionate about what the brand stands for.

As the brand continues expansion, it is also looking to Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania , Ohio and New Jersey.

The total investment necessary to begin the operation of TaKorean franchise ranges from $337,000 - $781,500 for a TaKorean Full Restaurant, or from $215,500 - $561,000 for a TaKorean Food Court/Hall outlet. This includes a $40,000 franchise fee.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- unit expansion (topic)
- franchise growth (topic)
- north carolina (location)
- Virginia (location)
- Maryland (location)
- restaurant concept (topic)
- D.C. (location)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/home-sweet-home-takorean-targets-its-birthplace-for-further-growth-2720090). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/ea32b001-b850-4748-bd5c-daaaa76d89e4).