Crisp, located on Broadway just between Oakdale and Wellington Avenues, has something of a cult following among Parker students who enjoy Korean fried chicken, vegetable bowls, and steak bowls. In the Parker community, the counter-service joint is perhaps most known for its sweet and tangy sauces that it throws generously onto its chicken wings.

According to Crisp General Manager Calvin Buckner, most customers opt for the Seoul Sassy sauce. Not coincidentally, 70% of Parker seniors who were surveyed overwhelmingly preferred Seoul Sassy to other sauces offered such as Crisp BBQ or Bud’s Buffalo.

“I think customers like the unique flavor of Seoul Sassy,” Buckner said. “You can get barbecue sauce or buffalo anywhere, and while those sauces are still great here, people really come for the Seoul Sassy.”

One recent Crisp customer agreed. “I can’t get Seoul Sassy anywhere else, and honestly, it’s pretty addicting,” Jane Cata said. “I would definitely say that I come here for this sauce.”

Jane, a 24 year old living in the city in her first job, fits the bill for the main demographic of customer at Crisp. As I glanced around the small space in which wafted the mouth-watering aromas of fried chicken and rice, I noticed that the majority of customers were between the ages of 19 and 30.

The demographic is what it is because of the mix of both fast and quality food that Crisp offers. Buckner mentioned that Crisp receives orders to be delivered to Parker at least once a week and even referenced a longtime Parker faculty member.

“When Ms. Cookie worked at Parker, she used to order from us at least once a week,” Buckner said of former Parker Assistant to the School Head and Development Relationship Coordinator Karen “Cookie” Hardaway. “She is such a nice lady, and even now the staff is so appreciative to our delivery people and our business.”     

According to Buckner, all sauces at Crisp are homemade and come from Korean recipes brought to the United States by the restaurant’s owner, Jay Lee, and that’s what sets Crisp apart from other Chicken purveyors. Additionally, Crisp offers the whole chicken wing which, according to Buckner, is extremely hard to find in the city.

As for the food itself, Buckner noted that the most common items ordered are either a 10 piece chicken wing or the Seoul Steak Bowl. Parker seniors who were surveyed preferred the boneless chicken tenders (16) to the chicken wings (10) with a few students opting for the Seoul Steak Bowl (3).

“The boneless tenders are clearly the best,” senior Olivia Levine said, “because you don’t have to worry about the bones.”

Buckner prefers to create his own dishes. “I usually make my own wrap,” Buckner said. “I’ll grab some veggies and throw it together with our chicken breast, definitely with some Seoul Sassy.”

But the chicken items offered at Crisp are undoubtedly the most popular. “I feel bad for the chickens, man,” Buckner said. “We go through more than 1,000 pounds of chicken each week.”

According to Crisp employee Adam Rickett, the restaurant’s busiest times are from 7 P.M. until close on weekdays and basically all day on the weekends. Crisp will fulfill 600 orders on any given Saturday and 200 from 7 P.M. until close on weekdays.

“We really appreciate the regulars who come in as often as they do–whether that be three times a week or once every two weeks,” Buckner said. “And we especially love having Parker kids order during the day because it gives us a really great network that we know we’ll have as long as our food is as good as you all expect.”