Not a Single Korean in the Korean Restaurant
Mar 06, 2026
One of my party tricks is that I speak Korean.
After living in Seoul for several years, and working for LG Electronics in Pusan, I am able to carry a conversation pretty comfortably. Though my vocabulary decreases as the years go by…
But whenever I encounter Koreans, the last thing they expect is some white guy to start speaking their lingo. And they love it.
Except… the last time I spoke Korean, it kind of backfired. But it taught me a powerful lesson about communication and leadership.
Here’s what happened.
A few weeks ago my wife and I were at a local Korean restaurant, and I spoke Korean to the Korean-looking hostess.
The only problem was, she didn’t bat an eye. In fact she looked a bit confused. Not the reaction I was expecting!
And it only got stranger.
When we sat down, a blond waitress soon arrived. It was clear she was a local college student. I asked her about the hostess, and she replied, “Oh- she is from China.”
So far this Korean restaurant had two strikes.
The hostess was Chinese.
The waitress was white.
Was the food going to be any good? Was this a mistake?
However a few minutes later, I was proven wrong.
When our order arrived the flavors were just as I remembered, and it brought back a flood of memories. It felt like I was back in Seoul.
Despite my initial misgivings, this food was authentic. And the best I’d had in years!
I thought, “There must be Korean cooks in the back. No one else could have done this!”
And so when I peeked behind in the kitchen to thank them… there I was met with my third surprise.
All the cooks were Mexican. Not a single Korean in sight.
The shock!
Even though the food was great, the atmosphere felt like I’m in the middle of Seoul, and the recipes were as authentic as I could hope… the hostess was Chinese, the waitress was blond, and the cooks were Mexican.
Not a single Korean worked there.
What on earth was happening?
Completely bewildered, I asked the waitress how this was all possible?
“The owners are Korean,” she explained, “but aren’t here tonight.”
As my wife and I were driving home, I thought about the strange experience.
How could this team of people deliver such an authentic experience… if they had no natural ties in the first place?
Then it hit me: The leaders had communicated their vision with such clarity and consistency, that it enabled others to deliver an exceptional experience… initially foreign to them.
I frequently tell audiences that the strength of your brand is measured by other people’s ability to tell your story when you aren’t in the room.
And that’s what happened at this restaurant.
The Korean owners had to be so clear in what it means to be Korean, that it was easy for the others to deliver a Korean experience… while not being Korean themselves.
The question is… are you telling your story with enough consistency and clarity that it enables others to tell it for you?
To be more specific, if you weren’t in the room tomorrow…
Could someone else explain your value?
Could they describe what makes you different?
Could they deliver the experience you promise?
Because when your message is clear enough, consistent enough, and practiced enough…
Other people start telling your story for you.
Christian
CHRISTIAN HANSEN has gone behind the scenes in some of the biggest organizations in the world to find out the reasons why some people get chosen and why others don’t. As the #1 bestselling and LinkedIn Top Ten ranked author of “The Influence Mindset: The Art & Science of Getting People to Choose You” Christian helps teams and organizations who want to stand out and be the obvious choice. With degrees from Brigham Young University and The London School of Economics, he’s helped thousands of individuals position and sell themselves. A fan of international communication, history, and choral music, he currently lives in Utah with his wife. Reach him at: TheChristianHansen.com
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