According to an article at NRN.com (as well as a write-up at laist.com), the long been established Mexican grill, Baja Fresh, is taking a walk on the Korean BBQ side by adding their very own twist to Korean barbecue tacos with their, Baja Kogi. With “Kogi” in the taco’s name, the now famous Korean BBQ taco truck, Kogi BBQ (which conveniently serves mostly intoxicated persons Korean BBQ tacos featuring little-to-no meat along with some lettuce, some cabbage, a yummy flavored sauce and a whole lot of hype atop a not-soft-but-thick-and-soggy hard like tortilla), may have something to protect with this alleged Korean BBQ Taco competition.
When Baja Fresh’s president, Chuck Rink, was questioned about the correlation between the name, Baja Kogi, and Los Angeles’ late night taco snack truck, Kogi BBQ, he explained that this new Korean taco approach is simply a way to feed the apparent consumer desire for grilled beef (or chicken) topped with a kimchee slaw. Meanwhile, the tech savvy folks at Kogi BBQ are taking no part in this situation, claiming up front to have nothing to do with this business. We’ll have to just wait and see how this little cookie crumbles. In the interim, we should all get in on this month’s Ice Cream Social and just cool down! 
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
You know the hype has hit critical mass when it goes mainstream! This is definitely a not-so-subtle case of Baja Fresh jumping on the bandwagon (or taco truck, as it were). The downside for me is that it’s very likely I’ll get to taste Baja Kogi before I get a bite of Kogi BBQ – from the sound of it, I’m not sure that either is really something to look forward to!
Here are our comments, if helpful.
Baja Fresh wants to clarify that our Korean BBQ style “Kogi” chicken and beef tacos and burritos, concept testing right now in one Irvine store, was by no means intended to seem “stolen” from the famous LA-area Kogi taco truck.
Rather, we were under the impression that “Kogi” was the generic word for Korean BBQ style. We have since learned “Gogi” is the general word and will be moving to change our naming to Gogi, for the Irvine store, and for any future roll outs of these products.
We admire greatly the success and popularity of the food items from the Kogi taco truck, and Korean BBQ style food overall.
As always, when our customers are interested in and demand a food offering, we often do what we can to get that food into our stores.
We are really excited about all the buzz and interest in our Korean BBQ style Tacos and Burritos, and hopeful that we can extend beyond Irvine, giving fans more choices, including, always, the original Kogi taco truck.
Hey Noodles!
Yes, hype does bring the crowd to the yard but, as precedents have so revealed, does not always bring the taste that was hyped up to be
Nonetheless, snacks are being served, nomenclature included.
See ya, Noodles – let us know if you ever get your hands on (either) one of these Baja Fresh Korean BBQ Tacos.
Hi Laura.
Thanks kindly for dropping in. I am looking forward to trying these new tacos out – conveniently enough, I had some Baja Fresh Snacks yesterday as they were catered to the office we lunched at
One last thing to note is that regardless of style, taste or even, “name”, the true consumer-pleaser is the experience and/or the environment. Create that space that satisfies the mind and waters the mouth and you can serve just about anything.