How Cupbop rebuilt after a cofounder betrayal and scaled to $100M

Executive overview

Three partners seized majority control of Cupbop and ousted the founder. Jung and Dok regained control after the partners sold their shares and left.

The rebuild required replacing personal trust with operational systems — an operations manual, clear store procedures, and aggressive incentive plans for store leaders. A Shark Tank appearance with Mark Cuban cemented Cupbop as the first-mover Korean food brand in the US.

Trust requires a system to stand on, not just goodwill between people.

Building systems after the betrayal

• Three partners had been preparing to seize control for roughly two months before acting
• After they left, Jung and Dok split responsibilities: Jung covered front-of-house, Dok covered back-of-house
• First step was an operations manual establishing consistent procedures across all stores
• Inconsistencies between locations had been a major source of instability
• An aggressive incentive plan for store managers followed — up to $5,000 per manager per period
• Incentives tied to store performance created direct alignment between leadership and outcomes
• The benefit was visible almost immediately after implementation

Getting on Shark Tank

• Dok's biggest fear: a well-funded competitor would copy the concept and claim first-mover status as the Korean food brand
• Jung's solution: appear on Shark Tank to establish Cupbop's name nationally
• Jung submitted applications to roughly 10 different auditions; the process included phone calls, video, and FaceTime rounds
• The goal on set was to generate interest from every shark — a signal of business attractiveness
• Jung's personal goal: no subtitles (he succeeded)
• Five sharks competed; one offered $5 million
• They made a deal with Mark Cuban

Hiring philosophy and people development

• First interview question: "Are you happy?" — not name, education, or experience
• Mike Dimmick: started as a part-time dishwasher on the food truck, became a commerce leader, then general leader, then district leader covering the entire Colorado market
• Goal is to give everyone a fair opportunity with no ceiling on growth
• Company mission: "take Cupbop to the moon"

The personal cost and motivation

• During the food truck years, Jung's wife and five children would come to festivals so the kids could spend time with their father
• The family kept a tent in the car; kids played while parents sold food
• Jung describes his family as his "spring" — the source of comfort and confidence
• A solo night drive back from buying a food truck brought an unexpected wave of emotion — grief for friends from Korea who never got the same opportunities
• His message to young Koreans: buy a ticket, see the wide world, cross the wall and become a bridge