Like the Eagle Five, a crew of five has joined forces. They are Picky Child Company, a Daegu-based F&B brand . Having started this work simply out of passion, eight years have passed, and they are busy every day contemplating how to capture the essence of the region of Daegu on a plate. Picky Child Company’s secret to creating local content is nothing special; they simply capture the thoughts and feelings they experienced while living in Daegu. Now, Picky Child Company aims to plant diverse content within the region. This is because they know that the "real Daegu" develops when many join forces, rather than just one.

It looks like you are in the middle of a busy period preparing to move.

The meeting room looks empty, doesn't it? We decided to move our office to the same building as 'LAZY MORNING,' a bakery cafe brand with which we collaborate closely . LAZY MORNING occupies floors 1 through 3, while Picky Child Company (hereinafter PCC) uses the 4th floor. It wasn't just a simple relocation; we also underwent a major internal overhaul during a recent workshop. We plan to focus on creating our own original content. We currently have a local beer brand set to launch soon, and we are also planning a stay hotel. We are preparing to build up our own high-quality content and send it out to the market.

The five co-representatives of PCC were originally friends.

Yes. I am working with a childhood friend I’ve known since kindergarten and elementary school, a neighborhood friend I used to hang out with every day, and an older colleague who was my boss at my first job. The friend who joined last is an original member I met when we first opened 'Picky Child Dining . ' We started working together because he is good at his job and we click well. Having worked together for eight years, I like that we can point out problems or areas for improvement without hesitation. Everyone has different areas of expertise and different perspectives on the same issues.

A diverse group of people have gathered at PCC. Were you all experts in different fields from the start?

No. We have always worked exclusively on F&B brands. The only difference is whether we worked in the kitchen or the dining area. Our main job used to be restaurant operations, but as PCC’s worldview has expanded, there are people like me who serve as brand directors, as well as those who focus entirely on spatial design, work as marketers, or specialize solely in management support. There is also a friend who works as a chef. Naturally, our roles have been divided.

I think everyone has grown a lot on the job.

That's right. We have developed incomparably since we first met. Our individual professional capabilities have also expanded significantly. There are so many elements required to run a single store, you know. We didn't create this after a meticulously planned beginning; instead, we reached this point because our team members worked together, enjoying the process, just to run a store well. Once we make a decision, we tend to build a brand quickly. Since we start in fields that our members are interested in, we already have a lot of data and considerable experience consuming content, so we don't need time-consuming market research. When preparing a brand, it doesn't take very long...

I didn't need time.

The F&B brands and restaurants created by PCC are, without exception, widely loved. Picky Child Dining was the first, and we currently operate 'Dong-A Sikdang,' 'Cut Let,' and 'MEATFIELD.' Each restaurant has a very distinct personality; how did Picky Child Dining come to be?

In our early to mid-20s, Western cuisine was the coolest, most visually appealing, and most desired field for us. That is why we opened Picky Child Dining. Since it was our first time running a restaurant, we experienced both big and small trials and errors. That is when we truly learned that to run a restaurant well, we must focus on 'what is on the plate.' To be honest, the restaurant didn't do well from the start. Of course, there were difficult times as well.

My friend from Daegu told me that Dong-a Restaurant is really famous and that the wait is quite long. (Laughs)

Dong-a Sikdang is a brand and restaurant that was born while we were moving forward after experiencing failure following Picky Child Dining. Dong-a Sikdang is the most filial child among the ones we raised. It was such a difficult time back then that we actually had no intention of expanding the brand. Instead, we were contemplating, "How can Picky Child Dining take root in the alleys of Bongsan-dong and last for over 30 years?" We were focusing on sustainability. In the meantime, while communicating with the CEO of ' The Wave Company ' in Gangneung, with whom we had been collaborating, we began to take a serious interest in local content. We didn't have any particular thoughts when we first opened the restaurant, but while communicating with creators from other regions when we opened Dong-a Sikdang, we realized the importance of local content.

Local content?

For instance, there is a dish like Jeonju bibimbap that you simply want to try at least once when you visit Jeonju. It cannot be replaced by any other food and possesses strong regional characteristics. I wanted to create a dish similar to Jeonju bibimbap in Daegu. Since I was interested in the keywords 'local' and 'sustainability,' Dong-a Restaurant was born, selling menus made with ingredients sourced from Gyeongsang-do.

Meatfield, a barbecue specialty restaurant, opened in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, this January. We are expanding our F&B brand across the regions surrounding Daegu.

Meatfield started with the earnest intention of asking, "How can we bring people together in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province?" Yeongju City and SK Specialty joined forces to launch the " STAXX : Into the Yeongju Economy " project. This initiative aimed to revitalize Yeongju by gathering social venture companies, and we received a proposal to serve as an anchor store through our F&B brand, attracting tourists . The goal was to create a popular restaurant that people would seek out from neighboring cities like Daegu and Andong. Meatfield is a barbecue specialty restaurant that combines traditional Texas cooking methods with Korean ingredients, while also appropriately incorporating Yeongju's local specialties into the dishes. We created the brand by incorporating our experiences from living in Yeongju for a short period to discover its charms. Starting from Daegu, we want to build a brand that can showcase diverse values to the regions surrounding where we live.

I also found the progress of 'shed new light,' the exhibition and performance planning brand launched by PCC, interesting. I was impressed by their attempts at new forms of performance, such as 'Umtuda' and 'Pasta Show.'

Living in Daegu, I felt a strong cultural thirst. I was always disappointed by the lack of interesting cultural content in the city. Exhibition spaces and performance venues are also ridiculously scarce compared to the capital area. After all, our work is one of the basic necessities of life—food, clothing, and shelter—directly linked to the producers' consumption. Since culture is a concept of consumption on a different level that transcends mere survival, I wanted to try this using the profits from our F&B brand business. However, I believe it might be difficult to sustain long-term without a consistent revenue structure. I look forward to operating 'shed new light' regularly as we expand our content business in the future.

It amounts to returning the resources accumulated at PCC to Daegu.

To be honest, we didn't start with the intention of having a positive impact on Daegu. However, the work we did—whether for profit or simply out of passion—ultimately ended up making the city we live in today a better place. Just a few years ago, the alley in Bongsan-dong where our store is located had absolutely no established commercial district. After Picky Child Dining opened, a commercial area formed in the alley, transforming it into a destination for tourists. The phenomenon of regional infrastructure falling behind due to population concentration in the capital area is a social issue in itself. On one hand, I believe we played a small part in creating jobs through our F&B brands, revitalizing dilapidated alleys, and establishing a structure to attract tourists from outside. In addition, we have a separate team that acts as brand planning mentors, helping to move away from standardized branding and build Daegu's local culture while maintaining individual unique characteristics. You could say we are planting and nurturing various types of trees in a forest. Now, we fully understand what we are doing, why we are doing it, and what kind of impact we are having.

This is why we view PCC as a 'group that creates content and brands unique to Daegu.'

Actually, there was a time when we obsessively pondered the meaning of "local." While creating Dong-a Restaurant, we interviewed local farmers, and I asked a producer why Miryang perilla leaves are famous. They told me that as the climate warmed, Miryang transformed into an environment suitable for cultivating perilla leaves, and as more people naturally started farming, the produce became known. It was a much more realistic reason than I had guessed. Similarly, when I asked why mackerel is famous in Tongyeong, the response was simply that it is caught in abundance. When considering the roots of the "Daegu-ness" we are creating, I don't think we started with any special intention. "Daegu-ness" is simply a complex blend of ideas we have experienced while living in Daegu.

Does this mean that content created while living in Daegu is bound to be uniquely Daegu?

I have lived in Daegu my entire life, and I create products based on the influence I have received from the region. Since it is the city that has had the greatest impact on me, I believe it is only natural that Daegu permeates our brand and products. Rather than someone who has lived in Seoul their whole life suddenly analyzing Daegu's marketability to create something, I have naturally incorporated the thoughts I felt while living here. Doesn't that give it meaning as genuine local content?

I look forward to seeing CEO Seong Ju-hyeon and PCC firmly take root in Daegu in the future.

If someone were to ask me, “Which region would you live in?” I would unequivocally say “Daegu,” as the number of people I cherish is the most important indicator for me. That is because most of the people I love are in Daegu—my parents, siblings, relatives, friends, and even colleagues. I might go to other regions briefly to gain some insight, but ultimately, Daegu has to be the foundation of my life.

What direction does PCC want to take in the future?

We define ourselves as a 'content group.' We want to plant various seeds and nurture them well so that we can have a positive impact on the local cultural ecosystem. These could be a community hotel, a local beer brand, or even a souvenir shop. Beyond F&B brands, we want to cross over into diverse fields to make the place where I live and my surroundings a better region. There is also something I really want to do: create an F&B brand that represents Daegu. We have a sense of mission. Just like Gangneung's 'Donghwa Garden,' Daejeon's 'Sungsimdang,' and Chuncheon's 'Potato Bread,' we plan to soon propose a representative flavor that comes to mind when you think of 'Daegu.'

Maker's Pick

3 of PCC's F&B Spaces Particularly Loved in Daegu

Sosorae

A bakery cafe located in Guam-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu. It is the perfect place to enjoy brunch menus such as organic ciabatta and guacamole open sandwiches. They also seek out the most delicious seasonal fruits to create shaved ice, another fruit of their labor. With its beautiful building and surrounding scenery, it is always bustling with visitors coming for an outing.

Dong-A Restaurant

Launched in the fall of 2019, Dong-A Restaurant serves ingredients from the Gyeongsang region with the goal of offering a new perspective on the familiar. The menu features flavors that everyone can easily enjoy, such as eggs, mackerel, kimchi, and soybean paste. You can eat with confidence as the origin of the ingredients is clearly indicated on the menu.

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This restaurant is famous for its pot-cooked rice and aims to be a space that brings joy and comfort. They serve freshly cooked rice topped with beef, mackerel, or pollack roe. The food is presented with a neat and elegant touch. While it is delicious at any time, I recommend enjoying it lightly paired with a shiso highball for a daytime drink at the bar-style dining area.