‘I have no choice.’ Owner heartbroken over closing Kimchi Factory in downtown Macon

Smiling, Miyang Rutherford busied herself Tuesday in the kitchen of her Korean restaurant in downtown Macon.

But when she sat down at a dining table to talk about the closing of her beloved Kimchi Factory, tears slipped down her face.

After only four years in operation, the restaurant in the old Len Berg’s on Walnut Street is expected to close its doors for good at the end of the business day Saturday.

“I have no choice,” said Rutherford, who is experiencing financial difficulties that have snowballed.

The perfect storm seemed to arise as Rutherford was recovering from hip surgery in May.

In July, Seungju Kim, the restaurant’s manager, created a GoFundMe page seeking the community’s help in saving the Kimchi Factory.

“We’ve been trying to do as best as we can, but as of recent times, we are not in a good place to be keeping our establishment open and running,” the GoFundMe page reads in part.

“We haven’t been seeing a lot of business, our owner is currently experiencing some financial stresses, the price of everything we need for inventory is going up, our restaurant is in need of constant maintenance, we are unable to pay our employees on time, our inventory is shrinking, and we cannot keep upping our prices. We want to continue serving good food at a price that isn’t too high.”

The original GoFundMe goal was $50,000. But only $2,866 was raised.

For Rutherford, opening the Kimchi Factory was a dream come true — even when launching the restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2020.

A native of South Korea, Rutherford prepares authentic Korean food including dishes like bibimbap, kimchi fried rice and dumplings.

Having immigrated to the U.S. about 27 years ago, Rutherford ended up in Macon about eight years ago and worked in the cafeteria serving Korean workers at the Kumho Tire factory in south Macon before opening her restaurant.

She previously had done some catering from her home also.

The closure of her restaurant was posted on Facebook.

“We would like you all to come eat at our place for one last time … We will be serving you your favorite dishes and saying our goodbyes.”

People responding to the post expressed dismay at the restaurant’s closing.

“This breaks my heart so much..I loved having good authentic Korean food just around the corner from my place,” Solaris LaFae commented.

Link Howard posted, “I’m sad to see my favorite restaurant go.”

Jason Downey, a Macon attorney, is a regular customer at the Kimchi Factory. His workplace is within walking distance of the restaurant.

“I’m very sad,” Downey said of the closing. “I love coming here for lunch and it’s a great option for variety.”

Downey recalled a fond memory of taking his parents, Jim and Joyce Downey, who were in town visiting from West Virginia, to the restaurant earlier this year on July 3.

Downey chose the Kimchi Factory because his dad was stationed in South Korea as a U.S. Army medic in the early 1970s during the Vietnam War. He thought his dad would enjoy having authentic Korean food again.

“We had a good time,” Downey said.

He gave Rutherford a hug as he left the restaurant after finishing his lunch.

“It’s not just a restaurant,” Rutherford said. “It’s a relationship. I love my customers.”

Rutherford hopes to stay open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. through Saturday.

Drawing strength from her faith in God, Rutherford said she hopes the Kimchi Factory will return some day whether it’s as a restaurant or a food truck or via catering.

“I know He has another plan,” she said. “I’m patient and I’ll let Him work.”

Telegraph archives were used in this report.

This story was originally published October 9, 2024 at 12:53 PM.