Last week Mike Prasad, Founder of GirlGamer.com and social media strategist behind the famous Kogi BBQ truck, sent out a tweet that caught my eye.
The link leads to the Kogi website where they have posted a statement about an article they link to on NationsResturantNews.com The article is about Baja Fresh and their plans for a new Kogi BBQ inspired taco.
The new prototype menu also includes dishes with bolder flavors, including new “Baja Kogi” Korean barbecue tacos — in the style of the popular Kogi BBQ taco truck in Los Angeles that has made headlines across the country.
The article goes on to say:
Rink said the Baja Kogi taco is not meant to refer to the Kogi truck version, which has developed a cult following in Los Angeles, but the combination of grilled beef or chicken with a kimchee slaw is a response to evolving consumer tastes.
“Kogi is the word for meat in Korean,” he said. “Baja Fresh since its inception has always had a more contemporary approach, meaning it wasn’t an authentically Mexican brand. We’re testing the fusion of flavors.”
According to the statement on Kogibbq.com they “are definitely not affiliated with any of this business.” Which leads me to wonder if they are looking into the matter further.
We have heard rumors that Baja Fresh in fact contacted Kogi a few months ago to discuss a partnership because of the sucess of the Korean style tacos. The deal ultimately fell through and Kogi pulled out, so its seems rather strange to me that Baja Fresh would then go ahead and make a taco so closely linked to Kogi.
Is it wrong for them to go after the same market as Kogi? No. But I do think there is an issue with labeling their tacos something similar to the brand that just declined to work with them.
We contacted Mike Prasad to find his comments on the matter and to see if there was any truth behind the rumor. Unfortunately for us he was “unable to comment at this time”.
Tell us in the comments How do you feel about Baja Fresh using the Kogi name to fuel their new Korean tacos? Does this change how you feel about their overall brand?
UPDATE: We have learned that because of the pressure they received on Twitter, Baja Fresh has tweeted that they will be changing the Kogi to Gogi.
This doesnt change the fact that Baja Fresh orginally went to Kogi to work on something together, when the deal fell through they launched their own taco with ties to the Kogi name to play off the exisitng LA audience. They also keep using references to the Kogi truck in their Twitter stream. That seems shady.
Twitter: @Kogibbq and @BoldBajaFresh
(Photo from schemamag.ca)
