KKOKI Korean BBQ — Restaurant in Salem

All you can eat, except they limit you to 2 hours. If you had 4 adults, each doing all your can eat, everyone has to pick the same all you can eat package (3 options, each offers a different set of meats), and each round (each waitress visit), your entire table can only pick 3 meats. Not good at all!! I think the way they vent their tables is pulling cold air over the meats (yes you cook them yourself at the table, meaning it takes longer to eat, which means less rounds, and less food in your very limited 2 hour visit), this cold air flow causes a cooling effect over the meat, meaning only the surface touching the heating plate is cooking, leaving the center of your food uncooked. This is great for steak but dangerous for chicken. 24 hours since going, 3 of us have gotten sick. I can only assume it's from this place. I'll not be returning, the all you can eat options are a complete scam.

UPDATE 1/9/2024: It's been a couple years since I've been here so I figured I'd give it another shot. The portions of meat they bring to your table seem much larger and are perfectly adequate for 2. The service was good and so was the food. Everything seemed to go better this time compared to last, but remember, last time I showed up with 6 people, and I think if I showed up with 6 again, I would have had many of the same problems.

After my two visits, I'd like to make some recommendations. First, put up a flyer at each table that explains how to ensure you've cooked the food to its proper doneness. This will prevent confusion and potential lawsuits from customers getting sick after eating undercooked chicken, which can happen far too easily here. Second, an optional but super beneficial addition, add a light or a flag system. Green light (or flag) means we need assistance to order. Yellow light (or flag) means we need a new burner. This can expedite service to those who need it. As far as I could tell, the 2 hour limit still stands, so this would make customers feel better about getting their next serving in a timely manner (which I must say was much faster this time around as well!). Third, limit seating to 4 people per grill. More than that and the 3 meat limit starts limiting food portions per person, as well as speed(because it's eaten faster), creating that scam feeling I originally had. If a group comes in with more than 4, find a way to get them side by side seating so they can still see and interact with either at the other tables, with each table getting their 3 choices of meats for 4 people max. If one is a small child, then 5 could fit as well since they barely eat. Speaking of children, #4: Kids prices. 12 and under should be priced at maybe $10/11/12 each per meal option because they are very seriously unlikely to even eat that $10 portion of food.

Final comments: I think if the prices were set better and those things I mentioned were implemented, this could be a very full and busy place significantly more often than it is! The food is great and people want to eat here, but the prices are waaaay too high for a restaurant where you cook your own food. It's great for casual dates and maybe even a fun dinner with a kid or two. But groups larger than 4 i feel may have issues, especially if more than 2 of them are adults or big eaters. Oh right, more sides would be great too! Like Gamja Jorim, or maybe mussammari... Just more exciting side dishes for people to enjoy, that would be amazing!

Since the experience, food and service was much better, I've greatly increased the score and look forward...

My Experience Working at Kkoki

I worked at Kkoki for almost two years, starting as a dishwasher when I was 18. Over time, I moved through various roles, including busser, server helper, kitchen staff, and host. Unfortunately, I was let go just one month before reaching my two-year anniversary. While my time at Kkoki gave me opportunities to grow, it was also marked by challenges that ultimately soured the experience.

From the start, I worked hard to move up, aiming to become a server. Along the way, I didn’t face many issues, although some coworkers in the kitchen created a toxic atmosphere by speaking poorly about others. My first major problem arose toward the end of one manager’s time at the restaurant. I was physically pushed by another employee, and instead of addressing the issue, the manager—who liked both of us—threatened to fire me to avoid making a decision. When I reached out to the owners for help, my messages were ignored, and the conflict was never resolved.

After that manager left, one of the servers—who was related to the owners—stepped into a managerial role. For a few weeks, her leadership brought the best management experience I had at Kkoki. Unfortunately, this was short-lived. Without informing her, the owners brought in a co-owner to take over, upsetting many employees. The new co-owner had a reputation for mishandling server tips in the past, which further added to the tension.

Initially, the co-owner’s arrival seemed promising, but after a week, significant changes were made. She drastically reduced most employees’ hours while giving her son more than 40 hours a week, despite him having received numerous complaints and negative reviews. My schedule was cut from five days a week (nearly 30 hours) to three days with less than 12 hours. She fired the other host and several longtime servers, giving them false hope of returning. These changes upset many of us, especially those who had been with the restaurant since its opening.

During my final two weeks, the work environment became increasingly toxic. The co-owner frequently yelled at employees in front of customers, often citing “misunderstandings.” One incident occurred when we were short-staffed and busy. While I was helping set up carts, she publicly scolded me, shouting, “YOU ARE NOT SERVER, YOU ARE HOST.”

Eventually, I received a text that read, “I need to talk to you.” When I arrived at work, the co-owner and her son sat me down. They spoke in Korean for several minutes. Based on what I had learned during my time at Kkoki, I understood her saying, “I just don’t like him.” Her son defended me, saying, “You can’t just do that—he has many friends here.” Despite this, I was told that the upcoming Sunday would be my last day.

Months after leaving, I returned to Kkoki as a customer, and the experience was disappointing. The quality of the food had noticeably declined, and one of my favorite dishes, corn cheese, had changed so much that I couldn’t even eat it. The only thing I enjoyed was the pork jowl. During this visit, the co-owner’s son approached our table with a drink. He appeared to accidentally kick me but did not apologize, instead staring at me briefly before walking away.

While I am grateful for the skills and experience I gained during my time at Kkoki, the poor management, toxic work environment, and declining food quality have left a lasting negative impression. I hope the owners take the necessary steps to address these issues for the sake of their staff...

Most of these 5 star reviews have never been to a Korean BBQ before... and for those raving about the awesome modern atmosphere... it's The Rock with new posters, cook tables and vents; not some new concept restaurant... blasting Kpop on all the tvs. Not. Impressed. At. All. I went into this with low expectations and my experience verified that. We didn't have the lack of service that others have complained about but there were plenty of other "mehs", "blahs" and "ehh" to go around. Did I mention the Kpop?... it was so loud the server had to yell for us to hear her. Definitely ruins any hopes of a decent date night dinner here folks. Most people go here for the all you can eat BBQ and the restaurant offers on a portion of the menu classic Korean dishes / appetizers. They have a large over priced cocktail in multiple flavors and beers on tap. (One of the stars is because they have Dead Guy) Nothing else bar wise so there's that... basic soda choices. For the all you can eat there are 3 "packages" and you order the same package for the entire table, the proteins coming in rounds with rice, a very small portion of veggies, 4 banchan and what I called wet lettuce... iceberg with a few slivers of carrot and such a thin dressing you didn't taste it until the last 3 bites... so yeah.... wet lettuce. They bring out a trio of sauces; pureed pineapple (odd??), soy ginger (I tasted zero ginger), and what they call brisket (it tasted like watered down steak sauce with sugar). No salted sesame oil, no hoisin, no hot chili paste... VERY Americanized idea of sauces. This was very disappointing because a good part of Korean BBQ is your grilling and dipping sauces. I also found the marinated meats lacking in flavor or depth and spicy is not spicy. Only the chicken choices had good flavor and we loved all the pork belly options except the wine... ewww.... We got the second highest package because of the large selection of pork bellies. The beef belly was a delightful surprise that earned them another star. Another oddity... they bring WHOLE shrimp... heads-on-fully-shelled whole... why?? I had to clean the shrimp before grilling it otherwise it takes up unnecessary space on their small grills. I can say the staff was attentive even in the dinner rush and we were well taken care of... star #3. All in all it was meh ok. We won't go back and will continue to drive to Corvallis for TRUE all you can eat buffet Korean BBQ at Flame Mountain BBQ owned/run by a local Korean family: huge selection of better marinaded meats, larger seafood options (crab legs, oysters, clams, squid), more side/banchan options, more veggie options, soup, noodles, sushi choices, desert, create your own sauces AND twice as big grills... ALL of that for the same price as the lowest package at this place. And you don't have to shout to have a...