CupBop brings Korean BBQ to campus
Lee Thomas
Lifestyle Editor
Photo by Julie Ostler
Utah’s best Korean BBQ in a fast and easy cup has finally come to UVU. Having built a strong reputation with food trucks along the Wasatch front, CupBop brings their version of a unique food experience to the campus food court.
CupBop has distinguished itself as one of the best food trucks in Utah County over the last couple of years. Many emergency stops have been made after spotting the truck in a parking lot.
“Authentic Korean food that has been mixed with a lot of sauce. We know Americans love sauce,” said J Park, a founding member of CupBop when asked to describe their product.
The menu consists mostly of bowls that are, in essence, a bed of rice and/or sweet potato noodles that can be topped with your choice of mouthwatering seasoned meats or tofu. They also feature Mandoo, or potstickers that are filled with chicken and vegetables like lettuce and sweet onions.
The menu items are topped with the aforementioned sauces, including lime sauce, spicy mayo, traditional bulgogi sauce and chili sauce. Customers can control their level of spiciness from one to ten, which dictates how much sauce goes on an order.
The Korean BBQ haven has been a fixture of the Provo and Orem Food Truck Roundups since the beginning of summer 2014. The truck was even mentioned as a favorite in our review of the Provo roundup earlier this summer.
Started by the Korean trio of J Park, Jung Song and JK Kim, AKA “triple J,” the company began as an advertising company, which explains CupBop’s clever and eye-catching marketing, including the slogan, “shhh, just eat!”
“We had partnered with a dining service before, and we decided to open a truck,” explained Park.
They opened two years ago in Salt Lake County and started making trips to Utah County nine months later. The business venture has now expanded to include storefronts in Salt Lake City, Rexburg, just outside BYU campus and now UVU. There are also three trucks travelling between Salt Lake and Utah counties. The men have also opened a Korean-Mexican truck called KoTako exclusively in Salt Lake County with plans to come to Utah County soon.
The gentlemen Triple J also own the Sushi bar on campus, which is right next to the CupBop location, and they plan on opening a franchise of extremely popular local soda shop, Sodalicious, in the same area.
CupBop is the latest endeavor in making UVU’s food court more delectably diverse. Although the lines are long at this new addition, the deliciousness that rewards customers for their patience is well worth the wait.