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Founder Alex Brockway, right, has been serving authentic Seattle Chicken Teriyaki since June 2020. (Trent Thompson / Community Impact Newspaper)
Alex Brockway, founder of Cocky Teriyaki, has been working since he was 18.
His father told him many stories growing up about how he paid his college with tips made as a waiter. Brockway followed in his father’s footsteps and still worked in the hospitality industry during his studies, from pizza delivery to bartender and management. Brockway said he always dreamed of owning a restaurant, but didn’t find the timing right until he opened Cocky Teriyaki in June 2020.
After Brockway opened while COVID-19 affected restaurants in the U.S., he said the timing of the restaurant’s opening wasn’t as unfortunate as one might think.
“We didn’t have any preconceived notions about what it was like before COVID-19,” Brockway said. “When we set out and started we knew what we were getting into and had to use the technology to our advantage.”
The site used to be a Wok Express, but the owners were ready to retire, so Brockway bought the property from them, he said.
Brockway brought Chicken Teriyaki with him when he moved from Seattle to Austin with the help of his father in December 2019.
“Teriyaki is to Seattle fans like barbecue is to Texans,” said Brockway. “It’s on every street corner and I grew up eating this food two or three nights a week.”
Chicken teriyaki is originally a Japanese dish that includes grilled chicken with soy sauce and marinade. The restaurant’s chicken teriyaki includes flame grilled chicken, larger portions, and takeaway packaging that offer a more authentic Seattle experience, Brockway said. The menu goes beyond chicken and includes beef, shrimp, and tofu teriyaki. As a Seattle staple down town, Brockway said he was confident the dish would grow in Texas.
“[Cocky Teriyaki] started with the idea that we wanted to mirror what we’d seen hundreds of times in Seattle, ”said Brockway. “How is it possible that people’s taste buds are so different from one part of the country to another?”
Brockway said at the restaurant that he took advantage of the demand for takeaway and delivery services from third parties last year and plans to make this a key part of the future business model. A Cocky Teriyaki mobile app was launched along with a web version on July 20th, and he opened a second location as a cloud kitchen on August 1st. These kitchens are cooking facilities designed only to prepare takeaway and delivery meals. Although there won’t be seating to eat, Brockway said the location will have a communal front desk for pickup.
“The younger generations either didn’t learn to cook or didn’t want to cook, and so did the market [for virtual kitchens] is growing right now, ”said Brockway. “I think that’s a good segment of [the restaurant industry] will go and we’ll be early. “
As a new restaurant owner, Brockway credits his team for the success they experienced in their early years in the business, saying there is no way he could possibly do it all on his own.
“I want a place where people want to come to work,” Brockway said. “We struggled with staffing and hiring and getting the right mix of people for the first six to nine months, but we’ve finally made our move.”
Teriyaki to try:
Chicken teriyaki comes from Japan. Toshi Kasahara immigrated to Seattle from Japan and opened the city’s first teriyaki store in 1976. The dish consists of flame grilled chicken with teriyaki sauce and is usually served over rice. The sauce consists of soy sauce, sake or mirin, sugar and ginger. Here are four dishes to try at Cocky Teriyaki:
- Beef Teriyaki: ($ 11.50): Marinated grilled rock steak with teriyaki sauce, served over a layer of rice with a side salad
- Chicken Teriyaki: ($ 11): Marinated grilled chicken with teriyaki sauce and served over a layer of rice and side salad. Owner Alex Brockway said this item was the restaurant’s most popular item.
- Combination Yakisoba: ($ 12.50): Customers can choose a combination of two proteins. This dish is served with pan noodles, yakisoba sauce and mixed stir-fry vegetables.
- Spicy Chicken Teriyaki: ($ 11.50): Chicken teriyaki marinated in teriyaki marinade with spicy teriyaki sauce, served with calrose rice and iceberg lettuce. Brockway said customers should ask for an extra salad dressing to put on top of this dish for a tasty combination.
Arrogant teriyaki
200 Buttercup Creek Blvd., Ste. 117, Cedar Park
5610 N. I-35, Austin (Takeout, Delivery Only)
512-258-8583
https://cockyteriyaki.com
Opening times: daily 10:30 am – 9:00 pm
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