Today we’d like to introduce you to John Kim
Hi John, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Firstly, Moby’s was established in the 1960’s(exact date and year unknown) legend says Grady from Sanford and Sons had some part in it but that is unconfirmed. To the older generations, Moby’s is best known for Mama, an old Korean lady who ran the restaurant, then her “son” Andy. I put quotes on there because he wasn’t her son, he just claimed he was.
Moby’s has been serving generations of customers and it’s very common to see folks in their 40’s and 50’s claim their granddaddies brought them here thirty-some years back.
The restaurant breathes the soul of Inglewood. Every day I go in to open, I feel a familiar motherly warmth greet me as if to say it’s gonna be a lovely day. We serve generations of folks flocking in from around town as well as out of town, some victims of gentrification driving down once a week from Victorville, others coming in from Texas making Moby’s their first stop each and every time they visit… Moby’s is a very special place and this article should be about Moby’s.
I am a 1.5th generation Korean-American immigrant, witness to Rodney King, the LA riots, 911, then moved to Korea for 20 years where I was a Kpop artist in Korea’s first mainstream hip hop group, a live Kpop radio show host, UFC interpreter, and morning news anchor of Korea’s largest international broadcast station.
I moved back so my kids could have the American live growing up within an education system that nurtures creativity, confidence, immersed in a multi-cultural environment with empathy for the socially disadvantaged.
Moby’s was a restaurant I visited and loved the ambiance of the establishment. I formed a relationship with Andy and helped him out from time to time. Anne, who was also beloved by the community grew older and couldn’t continue to work at Moby’s. That’s when Andy reached out to me about his retirement and asked if I wanted to run it as he knew I understood Moby’s. I took it over in 2019 fixing and replacing every run down equipment, piping, griddles and everything else.
I’ve been through a fire, a follow home robbery / burglary, pandemic, arson etc but I love Moby’s and the community I serve. We have become family and that’s what Moby’s is all about. It’s a family atmosphere with people who know your name, what your regular breakfast is and even your kids names. Kid’s grow up right in front of our eyes and we share the good the bad and the ugly all together at Moby’s.
I’m currently at the restaurant five days out of the week with the best staff any boss can ask for and I invite you to come and see what you’re missing.
I’ll be happy to answer any further questions you may have.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The food business is never a smooth road.
It’s hard enough as it is but the pandemic, inflation, rising food costs, minimum wage… basically the government has made it a very rough road. I would actually love to get more into this to offer a small business operator’s point of view.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
So right now, I do several talk shows on both YouTube and AM radio from here in Los Angeles.
I also am in the process of launching my Youtube channel “The Kimchi Factory” which will revolve around LA Life, food, cars, dirt bikes and things that make you go boom.
I believe people are more than capable of achieving their dreams no matter how crazy they are, they just have to put it to motion and invest your time with the right people.
I don’t know what I’m known for, only time will tell but I really like the person I am now; a father, a son, a husband, show host, the owner of Moby’s…
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
God, Family and People.
Because life matters.
Love matters.
Memories matter.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mobyscoffeeshop
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mobyscoffeshop
