Name of business: Corn’d

Type of business: Restaurant

Specialty: Korean corn dogs

Location: 2677 Geer Rd., Turlock

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays

History of business:

It’s been nearly a year since Romeo Esho and his friends began their endeavor of opening a Korean corn dog shop at 2677 Geer Rd. in Turlock. But the long-awaited grand opening came Tuesday with much fanfare. 

Hundreds of people attended the shop’s grand opening festivities. Most had never tried a Korean corn dog, which are customized corn dogs with non-traditional toppings and fillings. The crew at Corn’d give customers the option to inject different cheeses, meats or chips inside of each corn dog while offering sweet and spicy toppings to cover the outside batters. There are also vegan, plant-based and gluten-free options.

Korean corn dogs have been much of the rage on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, with some posts racking up millions of views. Esho and his group of friends decided to jump into the corn dog scene last year. In an interview with the Turlock Journal in March, he explained that his friend group would experiment with corn dogs while on trips and vacations.

“We just like corndogs,” he said. “Who doesn’t like corndogs?”

Esho explained that the delay in opening was due to the change of contractors and getting permits approved. He gave an abundance of credit to City of Turlock staff for helping them navigate any issues they encountered.

“It feels amazing knowing that we’re open,” he said. “We're ready to serve the community. Nothing could stop us from being here. We're ready to do it for the families and give them some fun times.”

Inside of the renovated space are odes to all things outer space. There is a life-sized astronaut decked out in modern streetwear. There are reprinted newspaper clippings of Apollo 11. There is even an arcade game machine and a selfie wall with a selfie machine from Posh Photo Booth Co.

“The whole theme of Corn’d is futuristic,” Esho explained. “I love futuristic stuff. I'm doing cryptocurrency myself. We wanted to focus on the moon and outer space because it’s just fascinating. I love astronauts. I love space. And honestly, when you take a bite of these corn dogs, it will take you to a different place.”

The first people in line Tuesday were Amanda Alfaro and Perla Perez of Turlock, who set up chairs and waited for nearly seven hours for doors to open. 

“We got here at 11. I’m so excited because before, I used to go all the way to places like Sacramento or Stockton (to get Korean corn dogs). Then, Modesto got one, so I was going to Modesto,” Alfaro said in reference to Modesto’s Mochinut. “Obviously, there’s one here in Turlock now, so it’s better for me and everyone else. It’s awesome.”

The line at Tuesday’s grand opening stretched from the storefront all the way near Turlock Comics.

“This is a beautiful day,” Esho said. “People are excited to try these corn dogs. I encourage people to try them out. It’s unlike anything you’ll taste. I just ask that the community be patient with us. These are popular, so just hang in there. We won’t disappoint you.”