Min Seak Kang dreamed up Sneaky Snacky with his business partner June Kwon, inspired by his memories of growing up in South Korea in the 1980s.
A former chef at SkyCity’s The Sugar Club, Kang started his business in 2018, bringing a sweet twist to a classic Western burger. Hedecided to pair doughnuts with burgers as a nod to the dessert enjoyed by cultures around the world, like Aotearoa’s fry-bread.
The pandemic was tough but Kang says times are even tougher now with the economic downturn hitting customers’ pockets and his own, as labour and supply costs continue to surge.
What is Sneaky Snacky?
There are two Sneaky Snacky stores in Auckland. On K Road, we sell savoury products - hamburgers and ramen. Recently, we opened a second store on High St where we’re selling sweet filled doughnuts.
I wanted to open a business because being a chef is quite hard, with long hours. I found a business partner (June Kwon), who does the visual art for Sneaky Snacky. We started in 2018 from a pop-up restaurant.
I had this idea because I’m an 80s kid. I grew up with VHS and a different kind of culture, and I wanted to combine it with my food.
I learned high-level skills in fine dining, but I thought about what I wanted to sell, because I wanted to make something for everyone to try. I thought hamburgers were really popular everywhere in the world.
I also didn’t want to use a normal bun, so I looked at other countries and cultures.
Every country - Holland, Indonesia, Japan - has a doughnut. As you know, Māori have fry-bread - that’s kind of the same thing.
I thought maybe I could use a doughnut instead of a normal bun, and people would like it.
Sneaky Snacky co-owners Min Seak Kang (left) and June Kwon (right) double as the company's chef and art director.
Why do you think your burgers are so popular?
Like I said, I think because every country has its own doughnut recipe. I think young people also like something new.
Every burger has to have a bun - usually brioche or that kind of thing. But my burgers have a totally different look and a totally different texture. I can give you the option of having a glazed or a non-glazed doughnut. So people can eat a savoury and a dessert together.
We’ve been fighting to get through the pandemic. After the pandemic, we actually did really good business so I thought to expand to the city, but I couldn’t find the right place.
I wanted to make a variation on Sneaky Snacky, and everyone knows we make good doughnuts. I like the dessert as well.
Sneaky Snacky introduced its first doughnut-only store on High St, Auckland in June.
We kept the price cheaper than our hamburgers and kept the same name - everyone knows Sneaky Snacky.
The setup cost was cheaper than having a kitchen because it’s just a retail shop. We make all the doughnuts in our K Rd kitchen and bring them to our High St shop.
I worry about the economy not going well for the next couple of years, which stopped me from making a bigger investment. If something goes wrong and costs are high, it will be a problem, right?
Yes, with my head chef. The menu was designed by both of us.
We make 200 to 300 doughnuts a day. We can’t keep prices as low as Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts because we can’t sell a thousand or 2000 a day, so we’re starting slowly.
Sneaky Snacky on K Rd.
How was it trading through the pandemic?
We started the business two years before the pandemic. We kept coming back so many times to Level 4, Level 3, Level 2 - it was up and down.
In the meantime, we developed an online order system. People were at home because of lockdown and were following our Instagram and other profiles.
That’s why we opened a takeaway-only service. Lots of people came in and business was quite a success.
Honestly, it’s worse than the pandemic. I feel like since last month, people aren’t able to afford our products.
Sales are almost 30 per cent down in just one month. I’ve never experienced that much of a drop.
Food costs are going up at the same time as labour costs, and suddenly we’re paying up to five times as much for every product. This is over just six months. Prices are getting really high now.
The problem is selling at a fixed price. A hamburger is $18, but the prices for cheese, patties and flour are all going up.
I’m really sad because last month I had to say goodbye to someone who had worked with me for two and a half years.
What support is needed to help small businesses like yours get through this time?
First, it’s hard to get the right help because I’m not sure where to go. Second, I’m not sure where to find the right person.
I always check for Government support, like small business loans but I don’t know what that will look like next year. Maybe I’ll have to stop here. Maybe I will have to change all my plans.
Alka Prasad is an Auckland-based business reporter covering small business and retail.
