Hamilton’s Chung Chun Rice Dog met with lineups and love, says owner

All it took was a trip to Toronto with family and a chance visit to Chung Chun Rice Dog for the wheels to start spinning in Jocelyn Preclaro's head.

Preclaro was touring around downtown last fall with her daughter, Daniele Alexis, and her niece, Charlotte Mae Pascua, when they decided to stop for food.

Alexis suggested they visit the Korean street food spot - and some could say it was love at first bite (and sight) for Preclaro.

The menu was simple, the food was affordable, there was a lineup outside in the midst of the pandemic, the food was versatile and it was full of potential," said Preclaro.

I had it and it was awesome," she said. As soon as I got home, I reached out to the company to inquire about franchising."

Less than a year later, Preclaro opened the doors of her location of Chung Chun Rice Dog on King Street West in Westdale on June 30.

I always joke that I loved it so much that I started my own," said Preclaro.

Established in 2019, Chung Chun Rice Dog specializes in Korean rice dogs, which are similar to corn dogs, but are instead coated in a rice flour batter.

Under the crunchy coating could be a hotdog, a spicy sausage, a mozzarella cheese rice dog and even a half-mozzarella/half-hot dog variety. The batter-dipped sticks are coated with a variety of toppings, including bread crumbs, ramen noodles, diced potatoes as well as chicken.

The rice dogs also come in a dessert variety, where a whole chocolate bar is coated, fried and then dusted with sugar and cinnamon.

There are locations across the world - with shops in the United States, China, Japan, Australia as well as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Canada.

But opening up the shop in Westdale wasn't always in Preclaro's plans.

Prior to the pandemic, she'd planned on moving back to the Philippines where her husband owns a construction business. It was there that she would start her own business and their adult children would remain in Canada.

Preclaro was actually visiting the Philippines as COVID-19 started to sweep across the globe. Upon seeing photos of empty grocery store shelves back home in Milton, her master plan quickly changed.

I realized that no matter how grown up my kids are, I want to be close to them," she said. The pandemic made me realize what's important in life."

So, it was back to square one.

Preclaro started handing out resumes and trying to find other work, but nothing panned out. She'd previously worked in purchasing and had sold her own business as part of her plans.

The visit to Chung Chun changed all of that, she said.

Preclaro said starting a business amid the pandemic wasn't easy and she was met with doubters." But upon opening, she created a job for not only herself, but also some of her family, including her niece that came with them on that first visit.

And since opening their doors, they've been embraced by Hamilton and beyond.

Thanks to social media, they've had customers come from all over Ontario - some as far away as Kingston, said Alexis. They were also met with lineups around the block on opening day.

They want to root for us," said Preclaro.

Alexis said their success is partially tied to the rice dogs becoming a viral food sensation on TikTok. A video she made about her mom opening the spot even garnered more than 130,000 views.

A lot of our customers are young people," said Alexis, who also works at the shop. People are always so interested in the newest food trends."

Alexis said their success has also rippled into the surrounding community, where there are a number of other Asian-owned businesses. If someone comes to them, they'll likely stop by another place for other snacks and food, including bubble tea.

It makes us feel good that we're all supporting each other," she said. I'm really proud of that."

Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com