Derek Cha

Derek Cha is an American entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken.

Early life and career
Cha was born and raised in South Korea. At age 12, Cha and his family migrated to the United States. In 1985, Cha started two framing businesses named "Art and Frame Depot" and "Art and Frame Warehouse." He eventually grew both businesses into a large chain of 80 stores nationwide, generating between $5 million and $10 million a year in revenue. As the housing market declined in 2006 and the U.S. economy went into recession, Cha found his stores struggling. By the year 2009, none of the original 80 stores remained open or were operating profitably. Six months later, Cha opted for a completely new venture - frozen yogurt.

Founding of Sweet Frog
In 2009, Cha and his wife opened the first Sweet Frog in Short Pump, Virginia. Several months later on July 7, they opened their second store in Chesterfield, Virginia, which was even more successful than the first store. Their next stores were then opened in Chesterfield, Richmond, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Williamsburg, all located in Virginia. The growth continued in 2011, as Sweet Frog opened 29 stores, and accelerated in 2012 as 113 more Sweet Frog stores opened, mostly located in the east coast states of Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. On April 17, 2012, at a time when Sweet Frog had 180 stores operating in the United States and a few foreign countries, Boxwood Capital Partners made a minority investment into Sweet Frog Enterprises, LLC, the company that owns and operates Sweet Frog. In 2019, Cha was convicted of domestic battery against his wife and co-founder.

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken
Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken, the rapidly-growing Nashville-style chicken franchise founded by Derek Cha & Mike Kim. With presence from the East to the West Coast, as well as Dubai and Korea, our establishment aims to provide customers with the ultimate dining experience. Featuring the renowned signature Nashville-style chicken sandwich, our premise is simple yet impactful: to deliver the finest chicken sandwich in town and create lasting memories for you and your loved ones to cherish.