Cupbop to open soon in Pocatello
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POCATELLO — A fast-casual Korean barbecue restaurant is opening in Pocatello.
Cupbop plans to open the doors to its newest location at 544 East Benton Street. Seth Frazier, a multi-unit operating partner, said that customers can expect to find a welcoming environment and an invitation to come back the next day.
“When they walk through the door and when they go to leave, we say, ‘See you tomorrow,'” Frazier said.
The opening will be Aug. 13.
Customers will be greeted with a “Welcome to Cupbop,” from the whole staff. The customer will be asked if they’ve ever been to Cupbop, and if it’s the first time, the staff will then yell, “First timer!” so the customer knows “that they’re a little bit extra special.”
“That’s the culture that we have here,” Frazier said.
Staff will then walk the customer through the menu, typically starting with a base of rice, cabbage and noodles. Customers can then get meat, with options like Korean barbecue-style chicken, spicy pork and fried chicken with gluten-free options or even just vegetables.
Customers then pick their spice level, going from one through 10, top it off with some sesame seeds and then shake it up.
“That’s the kind of food that people (can) expect when they get here,” Frazier said.
Prices range from around $6 for a Kids Bop Bowl to around $11 for a Combo Bop Bowl
When customers leave, Frazier said that they give a variety of reactions to the expectation to come back the next day. Sometimes customers will ignore them, sometimes they’ll get a confused look on their face, or other times they’ll say something like “maybe” or “definitely.”
“One of the reasons we say, ‘See you tomorrow,’ is to not only hope that we will see them tomorrow, but to kind of get it in their head that Cupbop is a more than a once-in-a-blue-moon-kind-of opportunity,” Frazier said.
The newest Cupbop location will open up in the same building as Starbucks and Jersey Mike’s, in the lot where the Idaho Central Credit Union Benton branch was located before moving across the street. Frazier sees this location as offering many advantages.
“Being in a college town having Idaho State University right there … we’ll get a lot of college kids and a lot of locals that can just head down the street,” Frazier said.
Fraizer feels that the culture of Cupbop separates it from other fast-casual dining locations.
“We give each person individual attention when they’re going through and we’re making their food for them. We always make them the No. 1 priority,” Frazier said.