Jesse Boy’s soft opening brought a new Korean fried chicken restaurant to Fresno’s River Park Shopping Center on Friday. The restaurant’s menu includes chicken, cauliflower and specialty drinks, while its owners plan to keep it open during River Park’s weekly farmers market events.
According to The Fresno Bee, the sampler included a chicken wing, a tender, a piece of breaded and fried cauliflower, a bed of fries and a container of sauce. Hira said he considered the strong turnout a blessing, according to the same report. Jesse Boy is located at 140 E. Paseo Del Centro in the River Park Shopping Center, situated between Claire's and Kids Empire and across from Barrelhouse Brewing Co.
A Menu Built Around Choice and Dietary Needs
The menu includes bowls, plates, sandwiches and sliders in original and spicy varieties. Diners can choose among four sauces — JB sauce, house ponzu, diablo sauce and sesame dressing — and sides including rice, French fries, salad, pickled radish and coleslaw. Four specialty drinks include Peachy JB, described as tasting like a peach ring, a yuzu tart drink, and pineapple and strawberry cream slushies.
Owner Hira said the menu is intended to accommodate different diets. The kitchen fries cauliflower in a separate fryer from the meat. The restaurant is named for head chef Jesse Cho, who designed the menu and lives in Fresno.
A Food Business That Began at Farmers Markets
Hira and Cho have been friends and business partners for more than a decade, and their Jesse Boy concept has deep roots. The brand says it was established in August 2018, starting as a 10-by-10-foot booth at farmers markets in the Los Angeles area before the pair found a spot in West Hollywood to open their first restaurant, according to Jesse Boy's own account. Hira and Cho tested the concept in Los Angeles and opened that West Hollywood restaurant in 2018 before eventually setting their sights on the Central Valley.
Hira moved to Los Angeles to be closer to family, while Cho has said he loves feeding people and loves Fresno. The River Park plan had been in motion since March, and Jesse Boy announced its arrival in May. Hira and Cho also own the nearby River Park Yogurtland, a few doors down from the new restaurant.
Timed to the Tree Lighting, With a Grand Opening Still to Come
Hira said the soft-opening date was chosen to coincide with River Park’s Christmas tree lighting. The owners also plan to keep the restaurant open during the shopping center’s weekly farmers market events.
What the Business Data Can Show
The U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns data track establishments, employment and payroll by industry. They do not provide customer counts or establish demand for a particular restaurant in a neighborhood. Those measures can describe broader business activity, but the information cited here does not establish a growth trend for Korean-style fried chicken restaurants in the U.S., California or Fresno County. The California Federation of Certified Farmers’ Markets describes River Park’s market as a Tuesday-evening gathering of local farmers, food trucks and small businesses. That recurring event is separate from Jesse Boy’s Friday soft opening.
The grand opening is tentatively planned for Dec. 12, with a portion of that day’s sales to be donated to Valley Children’s Hospital, Hira said. Jesse Boy joins a growing local Korean food scene that includes Shila Korean BBQ, Rock & Noodles, Gangnam Korean Cuisine and Naju Tofu, according to a separate Fresno Bee report. That report also identified Seoul Meat Co. Korean Barbecue and a second bb.q Chicken location as upcoming openings at the time of publication.
