I can't give IKI its own thread because: 1) it is not iconic like "Made in China"; and 2) they don't sell Japanese beef (a sticking point for me insofar as Korean bbq places are concerned).

But, I want to tell you its story because it is kind of inspirational. Bang Bang opened up a few months prior to IKI last year (they are next door to each other). I always knew Bang would succeed because one of its owners has been running restaurants in BJ for 20 years, but I had my doubts about IKI: 4 kids from Taiwan/Korea opening a restaurant in a city with a gazillion Korean restaurants.

Fast forward a year, and that place is packed every night... to the extent that it's joined the (very) short list of restaurants in BJ where reservations are a necessity.

How did they make it happen? Well, courting the celebrities and coal miner children seems to have helped their cause. I'm also guessing that they have a solid presence on weibo (Chinese twitter clone). In any event, they pulled off a grand slam that is worthy of an HBS case study.