I first met Keegan maybe 7 or so years ago at a dinner at friends’ (shoutout Maggie and Hans) house in Atwater Village. I remembered him dropping into the conversation that he was planning on opening a restaurant, and for some reason it really stuck with me. I think because many of my childhood/college friend circle are not in hospitality, I always perk my ears when I meet someone in that sphere who is. When Woon opened in Historic Filipino Town, I followed along immediately, popped by for the oh so delicious chewy noodles and bought Woon socks and gift certificates when they were forced to close during peak pandemic.
Then, I started noticing Woon Goods and branding pop up at all of my favorite spots, including Gjusta Grocer in Venice, allowing me to indulge in stir fry sauce and dumplings from the Westside when I couldn’t make the trek across town.
Something I love about the hospitality industry is that it doesn’t really require a PhD. Depending on how you want to be involved, you can more or less learn on the job and navigate your way there (if you’re smart and resilient enough). A diverse professional background and passion do so much to create an even richer guest experience. At Woon, you can really feel that the brains behind it are creative and willing to push the boundaries of what a food and beverage establishment can be. But it’s done in such a simple and thoughtful way. Nothing is too flashy or screaming sales sales sales. It’s just stuff that you want and people who you want to be around. Everything from their branding, to marketing approach, partnerships, events, newsletter and certainly photography feel so uniquely them. I think that they’ve garnered a dedicated audience because of this; the food is fucking delicious, they have a true point of view, and there’s a genuine community that’s been built there. Sort of rare for a little noodle spot, no?
I had so much fun collaborating with Keegan on a pop-up with RAD Furniture and Gerald’s during this year’s LA Design Weekend. The line around the corner was in large part a testament to the trust that Keegan has built : If it’s hosted at Woon, the people will come. He has created not only an excellent restaurant, but a super cool brand. So much so that even if it’s a pop-up where his food isn’t being served, just by association, there is a dedicated following.
Keegan is generous with his time and truly a joy to work and collaborate with. Read on for insight into his approach and creative process. And if you get hungry, let this be your sign to stop into Woon; I recommend ordering the whole menu and leaving decked out in a Woon outfit head to toe. You’ll probably become a superfan too.
Follow Woon on Instagram @woonkitchen
ISO holiday gifts? May I recommend Woon Goods for your foodie friends who have it all. Sea Moss Seasoning and Mini Dumpling Candles will never disappoint. woonkitchen.com/shop
In a sentence how do you describe what you do within the hospitality world?
I am the founder, owner, therapist, handyman, marketer of Woon - a homestyle Chinese restaurant and packaged goods brand in Los Angeles.
I remember you telling me that your work experience prior to Woon was in the skate industry. Do you feel what you did then and now are connected or are they completely different parts of your brain?
I think that industry is as far away from the hospitality industry as possible, but I've somehow been able to find that little crossover section in the venn diagram to make it make sense. I think I still approach a lot of more high level things the same way I did before in terms of marketing, strategy and process. However, that world will never prepare you for the day to day decision making that is required of a restaurant. That is an entirely different part of the brain that I've had to unlock over the last 5 years.
Was opening a restaurant always a dream of yours? How did we get here!
I'd say owning a business was always a dream of mine and opening a restaurant was always a dream of my mom's (although she denies it to this day). I remember her always saying she'd love to have a place that she could cook for people and host them. But I'm realizing now that it was just something she would say, not necessarily actually wanted haha. For me, I felt like a restaurant was the only stepping stone for me to own a business and actually tell a very honest and personal story. It felt right to do it in the form of a restaurant. I was jaded by my previous marketing job of always having to create stories to sell products. I always felt like telling a true story was more attractive, and it happened that it came in the form of telling my mom's story through food.
Who or what inspires you? Within or outside of the hospitality industry.
I try not to look within the hospitality industry for inspiration because I feel that it can be damaging. However, sometimes it's hard to avoid hearing about the best new this or best new that in the industry. I think it can be easy to get carried away and try to chase what others are doing within the same space. However, I try to always remember to stay in our own lane and stay true to why we created Woon in the first place. It's very similar to the surf/skate industry I used to work in. I feel like that industry would get very caught up in looking for inspiration endemically rather than from the outside. I am attracted to looking for inspiration outside of the industry because that's just what I'm naturally attracted to. I enjoy music, so I try to use that as inspiration for Woon. I enjoy art, culture, golfing, fashion...so why not try to bring that into a Chinese restaurant? Why does there have to be boundaries?
Where do you get inspiration in the physical sense? IE specific books, museums, instagram handles. Do you have a ritual of collecting inspiration or does it find you?
Lately, it's been hard to seek out inspiration because I've been SO busy trying to maintain and open the new location. I really need to make some time to seek out inspiration. When I do, it's usually pretty organically...whether it's while watching some documentary and noticing something that I can apply to Woon. Also, I enjoy seeing what my friends are doing (who are not involved in this industry)..for instance, Jacob Cummings is our buddy and also does a lot of our photo / video content. I love what he's doing with his art whether it's in the form of making an album, or a zine, or just fun edits. That stuff gets me excited which is why we've been working together for so long.
Do you have a pinch me moment or horror story you'd like to share (within the hospitality world)?
I have so many OMG. Anytime something happens I always half jokingly say "there's a chapter in the book". This one story is so bizarre, but it's sooo long. But I'll try to summarize it and skip the crazy details. Essentially, when we first opened we had issues with our security cameras, so there was a period where they weren't working, and one night a crack head broke into the restaurant...spent 8 hours inside the restaurant, and pretended he was an employee for the entire time. He put on a uniform, hung a set of keys around his neck, poured himself beers, set up the seating on the patio, smoked crack in the bathroom (he left a bunch of crack and his pipe in there), and didn't even steal a dime out of the place. How do I know this? Well, my overnight cleaners cleaned the entire restaurant while he was inside, thinking he was just a crazy employee. My morning prep cook came in and he wouldn't let her in saying he knew who I was and that he was my friend. She ended up calling her husband (they live down the street) who came over to confront him and they got in a physical stand off with a cleaver. Meanwhile I was trying to rush over to the restaurant, but couldn’t cross Sunset because it was the morning of the LA Marathon! So I was on the phone with the police for 45 minutes while trying to drive around the marathon to get to Woon.
Woon design collab or pop-up that you're super proud of?
There's so many....all the pop ups are so unique in their own way. They always end up being a blast because it's so unexpected, but so enjoyable to execute. I think the MetalWoon collab we did with Metalwood Studio was amazing. I don't think anyone would expect a niche streetwear golf brand to collaborate with a Chinese restaurant...but we did, and we sold it out and blew it out.
Ideation : How do you begin a new idea? Tell us about your creative start/kick off process.
The process is something I need to work on. Right now the process is that there is no process. It's usually a thought or an idea, and then impulsively acting on it. The only constant are the steps in which I take to market the idea i.e. blog, newsletter, instagram, etc. But other than that it just happens lol
What is your relationship to feedback? Do you accept feedback easily? How do you decide what to incorporate and what not to? The Yelpers these days....
If it's feedback within our team and staff, I welcome it. My mentality is to approach every situation without any ego..sometimes to a fault. I try to always give my team the benefit of the doubt and see things from their perspective. I used to be an extremely stubborn person, but opening Woon has really opened my eyes to receiving feedback and how to process it. As for customer feedback and reviewers like Yelp. I try my best not to read them. And if I do read them by chance, I almost always take it with a grain of salt. However, if there is a through line in the reviews and consistent patterns, then it is something that we try to address i.e. portion sizes, customer service, etc. Those are things that we CAN control and CAN make a decision on. The things we CAN'T control are people's personal opinions of the food or experience. Not everyone can have the same experience and not everyone can understand what our mission is. A lot of people nowadays have to put things in a box in order to understand it more clearly. So when it comes to Woon, it's hard to understand because my goal is exactly the opposite. It's to NOT be put into a box...it's to cross boundaries and give people the unexpected. We are a 1st generation owned Chinese restaurant, so many people are seeing things for the first time and that can be unsettling.
What are your kids' go-to items on the Woon menu?
Noodles noodles noodles...and fishcakes :) Also my childhood favorites.
You've expanded your business to pantry items sold all over the country. My client in Seattle sells your Stir Fry Sauce in their retail shop! What's it like to run a business inside a business (inside a business? Are there more?) Has the retail side of things helped with marketing the restaurant and vice versa?
The consumer packaged goods business was always the end goal with Woon. It was in the business plan from day 1. I think a lot of people may not know that, but building a brand is more of my background than building a restaurant. And I alway saw the restaurant as the stepping stone and validation for the brand. However, what was unplanned was the timing of it all. I had planned on exploring CPG in year 5, but COVID obviously accelerated that timeline. It became a necessity to build that part of the business in order to survive. Thankfully, we were able to pivot quickly and grow that business organically due to my background in branding and wholesale. It's a huge lift for the business as a whole...it helps with brand identity and more importantly, allows us to tell our story outside of these 4 walls. I've always wanted to bring the story of Woon into people's homes. However, now that we are at the scale we are at, it's an entirely different business and it's not for the faint of heart. It's competitive, taxing and expensive. Although we are nationwide, there is a huge gap in supply chain that we have to fill in order to achieve the next level of distribution i.e. grocery and chains. It requires a lot of time, capital and experience. So, I'm essentially running 3 full-time businesses but only have 1/3 of the time to do so. Not ideal :)
Do you have a favorite guest? Who are they and what's their order?
I wouldn't say favorite, but definitely the most interesting is an older lad named John. He's probably mid-70's, wears a newsboy cap, tucked in dress shirt, and is about 5' tall. He carries a thick book with him at all times and always orders a beef noodle and an ice cream bao. Sometimes he'll switch it up and order fishcakes. He will always spend at least 2 hours in the dining room reading his book or sometimes falling asleep. And he will always talk to myself or my staff for 15 minutes about Chinese culture because he studied Chinese history in college. He's a very smart man and knows more about China than I do. He also understands what we're trying to achieve which I really appreciate. Going back to those Yelp reviewers...he's the guy who understands that everything doesn't have to be in a box. He always says, "I enjoy that you don't play Chinese music and that you play music that you like because that's the way it should be".
Do you have any goals/aspirations/plans for Woon in 2025?
Seems like these have been our goals and aspirations for the last 2 years (because of delays), but it is to have the second location in Pasadena open and thriving and to scale our packaged goods business into grocery. We've achieved the first step to both so far which means we are on the right track. We've got the second location finished with construction and just waiting on final inspections. We just received our first shipment of sauces produced in a factory which means we have enough product to start scaling!
Is there a medium that you're interested in exploring that is outside of your day to day role?
I'd love to start a Woon podcast some day. But I just don't have the time right now.
Favorite hospitality space you've visited recently and why? (hotel, restaurant, bodega...)
I live down the street from Mandarin Coffee and it's my go to coffee spot. Sherry is the owner and she's done an amazing job with the tiny space. I love their product, atmosphere and overall attitude. They don't try too hard and they don't have any coffee egos which is always a plus. Also, I recently treated myself to Houston's (it's down the street from me too) and I don't think there's one bad thing to say about that place - except maybe that I wish I could afford it more often.
Favorite hotel that you'd like to return to again and again? What about it is so perfect for you?
Ojai Rancho Inn. That place will always feel like a second home to me. Kenny at Shelter Social Club has done such an amazing job of not overdoing it and allowing the guests to take ownership of the space. It's the perfect size, family friendly, and affordable....all things that we look for. There's a pool...a barbecue that you can use at your will...and if you feel like it, they have a bar. But I never feel pressured to go to the bar because you can bring your own booze if you like. It just always feels so comfortable!
Who do you admire within the hospitality industry? Nominate them and I'll try reach out to interview them as well.
He's already a friend, but Andy Kadin of Bub and Grandma's has been a big inspiration and guide throughout my time.
This gig can be super hard. Why do you do what you do?
At this point, I'm in too deep and it's the only thing I can do haha. But seriously, I'd like to say it's gotten easier after 5 years, but honestly It's gotten even harder. As I've gotten older and now have a family to support, the pressure has only increased. I had the ability to make mistakes early on because I didn't have so much on the line. But now that I'm older (and not making more money that when I started), I don't have the luxury of making those mistakes. The only path is forward and to figure out how to scale this business to be sustainable. This industry is not economical. It's set up to fail, so the only way to succeed is to scale and figure out ways to diversify. I think the problem solving and the need to constantly find new solutions is what keeps me going. I enjoy finding solutions and figuring out how to make them sustainable. It's fulfilling..almost addicting at times.
Anything else you'd like to share? Thank you and xo!
Please come support Woon and also the new Woon in Pasadena. I think we are very fortunate to have made it this far. Others in this industry have not been so lucky. Every month I can see how and why that is the case...without people actively supporting, this industry is nothing. Thanks for listening :)
Here for the hospitality horror stories! Loved this - their branding is so great and I'm obsessed with the dumpling candles!