Fine Dining Korean · Austin, Texas
Sŏn
A restaurant built on heritage, precision, and intelligence.
Our Story
The Name Means Hand
Sŏn — the Korean word for hand. Every dish at Sŏn begins and ends with the hand: the hand that selects each ingredient at dawn, the hand that folds the mandu with decades of muscle memory, the hand that plates with the precision of ceremony.
We are building a fine dining Korean restaurant in Austin, Texas — not Korean BBQ, not fusion, but Korean cuisine presented at its highest expression. Rooted in the culinary traditions of Korea, refined with the ingredients and energy of Texas, and operated with a level of technological sophistication the restaurant industry has never seen.
Sŏn is where heritage meets the future.
手
THE EXPERIENCE
Korean Cuisine at Its Highest Expression
Not fusion — a conversation. Korean fermentation meets Texas smoke. Whole-animal cooking meets generational technique. From smoked foie gras dumplings to Korean BBQ short rib ssäm with three-sauce pairings, every course reflects Chef Jun's decade at Jean Georges and his study of Texas barbecue traditions.
Tasting Menu
Oysters with frozen oak-aged rice wine vinaigrette. Smoked foie gras dumplings. Korean BBQ lamb belly in jeonbyeong. Ocean trout in smoked cultured oil. Fermented bread baked on charcoal with house honey butter. Each course — a dialogue between Seoul and Texas.
Prix fixe tasting menu
Beverage Program
Miso Margarita with gochujang syrup. Soju Ranch Water. Smoked Peach Old Fashioned. House-made sparkling sodas. Ceremonial-grade matcha. A program where Texas heat meets Seoul streets — from frozen kimchi bloody marys to barrel-aged soju.
Private Dining
An intimate omakase counter and private dining room for milestone celebrations and corporate gatherings. From weekend brunch to late-night bar snacks — five revenue-generating day parts under one roof.
OUR TEAM
Three Founders. One Vision.
D
Dominic Thomas
CFO & FINANCE
Former Merrill Lynch wealth management associate on a top-producing Texas team managing $3B+ in assets. Barron's & Forbes "Best in State" 2024-2025. Builds the financial models, stress-tests assumptions, and structures capital with institutional rigor.
B
Brandon Acuña-Cardona
OPERATIONS & HOSPITALITY
5th U.S. Latte Art Championship. Alinea Group consultant. Trained at Launderette, Emmer & Rye, Coqodaq (Simon Kim / Cote). Strategy consultant for Pullman Market (Silver Ventures / Pearl). Two decades of education and hospitality leadership.
J
Jun Shim
HEAD CHEF & CULINARY
Seoul-born, CIA-trained. Nearly a decade at Jean Georges organization. Chef de Cuisine at Coqodaq — Simon Kim's Korean fine dining concept in NYC. Moved to Texas to study barbecue. Korean technique, Texas ingredients, fine dining execution.
THE OPPORTUNITY
A Wide-Open Market
Fine Dining Korean in Austin
Fastest-Growing Cuisine
Michelin Stars in Austin
Michelin-Recognized in Texas
Craft Omakase to Michelin Star
Austin has embraced fine dining with open arms — seven Michelin stars, a thriving food culture, and proven demand for elevated tasting menus. Yet there is not a single fine dining Korean restaurant in the city. Korean cuisine is the fastest-growing category in American dining, driven by global cultural influence and a generation of diners hungry for authenticity.
We are not competing with Korean BBQ. We are not competing with pan-Asian fusion. Sŏn occupies a category of one: fine dining Korean in a city that has been waiting for it.
THE DIFFERENTIATOR
We're Not Just Opening a Restaurant. We're Building an Operating System.
45 platforms connected into a single nervous system. Real-time P&L. Individual guest lifetime value. Predictive churn detection. Capabilities no restaurant on earth possesses today.
Total Platforms
Categories
Hub Systems
Data Sources
Emergent Capabilities
Unified Data Layer
Data flows in from 18+ platforms via native sync, API scripts, and automation workflows into a single source of truth. Every operational metric, every guest profile, every labor insight — unified and queryable in real time.
9 platforms
Operations & POS
Core Spine
6 platforms
Guest & Revenue
Guest Data Spine
7 platforms
People & HR
Employee Lifecycle
4 platforms
Comms & AI
Voice Intelligence
4 platforms
Security & Access
Physical + Digital
5 platforms
Marketing & Brand
Brand Presence
10 platforms
Productivity & Data
Backbone
"45 commercially available platforms. Zero proprietary technology. The moat is that nobody in hospitality has ever wired them together — and the capabilities that emerge when you do are structurally impossible for incumbents to replicate."
Explore the Full Architecture
FINANCIAL OUTLOOK
Built for Profitability from Day One
2–3×
Industry Average EBITDA
34%
Target EBITDA Margin
45
Integrated Tech Platforms
5
Revenue Centers
63%
Five-Year Growth
Son's financial model targets EBITDA margins two to three times the fine dining industry average — driven by technology-enabled efficiency and a multi-revenue-center model that no single-concept restaurant can replicate.
Multiple scenarios modeled, from best case to stress test. The model is resilient by design — built on technology-enabled efficiency and diversified revenue streams.
REVENUE ENGINE
Five Revenue Centers. One Seamless Operation.
5
Revenue Centers
126
Total Seats
126
Seats
50
Operating Weeks
5
Day Parts
Daily, 7 days
Coffee
Dosi Counter
Mon-Fri
Dosi QSR
Quick Service
Wed-Sun
Dinner
Full Service MDR
Sat-Sun
Brunch
Full Service MDR
Fri-Sat
Late Night
Bar Program
Most restaurants rely on a single service — dinner. Son operates five distinct revenue centers from a single footprint: fine dining dinner, weekend brunch, daily specialty coffee via Dosi, a weekday quick-service lunch counter, and a late-night cocktail program. This multi-daypart model maximizes the revenue per square foot and de-risks the business by diversifying income streams.
126 seats across the main dining room, patio, and bar. Five distinct revenue centers operating from a single footprint — maximizing revenue per square foot in ways no single-concept restaurant can match.
SON VS INDUSTRY
Not Incremental. Structural.
Son does not compete on the margins of the restaurant industry. It operates in a fundamentally different category — one where technology creates compound advantages that legacy operators cannot replicate.
Son at Maturity (Year 5)
34%
EBITDA Margin
45
Integrated Tech Platforms
5
Revenue Centers per Location
Industry Average
10-15%
EBITDA Margin
5-10
Integrated Tech Platforms
1
Revenue Center per Location
The technology moat is 12-18 months for any competitor to replicate. By the time they wire together what we have already built, we will be two generations ahead.
INVEST IN SON
A Multi-Million Dollar Project.
Backed by operators, built by founders who have done it before. We are seeking partners who understand that the best restaurants are built on vision, operational excellence, and the right team. We are selective about our partners. Apply for access to our investor materials.
Detailed use of funds and timeline available in our pitch deck.
Every dollar is allocated with precision across six categories.
Our CapEx model draws from 200+ line items. Request our pitch deck for the full breakdown.
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We'll send you our investor materials within 24 hours.
By submitting this form, you are requesting access to our investor materials. This is not an offer to sell securities.
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© 2026 Sŏn Restaurant Group. All rights reserved.
Austin, Texas — Opening 2027