When Max Malihi’s San Jose location of Korean fried chicken chain Vons was struggling, he decided to switch concepts. In April, he flipped it into Yumee Katsu, serving Korean-style cutlets coated in panko, pounded thin and fried to a crisp.
“Our sales went up four times,” he said. “I see a huge appetite for this food.”
Malihi said he was surprised by the katsu from Yumee Katsu, a chain with about 60 locations in South Korea and several in the Bay Area, finding it lighter and less oily than Korean fried chicken. Now, Malihi, a franchisee, has plans to expand Yumee Katsu throughout the South Bay, with a second San Jose location in the works and the exclusive rights for outposts in Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Cupertino and Santa Clara…