Since graduating from the University of Florida, Hiro Leung and Song Kim have become the visionaries for one of the most successful Japanese concepts in Florida: Dragonfly. During their standard tenure at university, they worked in the Japanese restaurant industry together, which led them to discover an opportunity for a concept in Gainesville that went beyond traditional sushi.
Opened in 2000 in Gainesville, Dragonfly was created as an authentic Japanese gastropub with a menu consisting of mainly small appetizers meant to be shared among company, characterizing the Asian “unity of the family” essence. Today it is still one of destination’s most unique and desired restaurants, with two-hour dinner waits a weekly occurrence. In 2010 another epiphany hit while Hiro and Song were traveling to Orlando and knew their brand would fill a need for the market.
, 
They opened up their restaurant in the Dellagio Town Center with a focus on the art of robata grilling on imported Japanese white Binchotan Charcoal. Six years later in March of 2016, the duo with their executive chef Ray Hideaki Leung opened their Miami location under modern izakaya concept.
20 years later, with three restaurants, a solid brand reputation and numerous awards racked up, the duo attribute their success to their stern philosophy of continuous improvement with their team.
Hiro and Song have engrained Dragonfly’s core values with their employees and have developed strategies used internally to make sure these are constantly reminded on a daily basis via storytelling, focused feedback and recognizing when a team member is being a living example. As co-founders and operating partners, Song and Hiro complement each other intrinsically.
Hiro, the creative head, thinks in future tense, conceptualizing where to take the concept, how to grow the business and in what direction they should pivot. Song, the realist, deals with the present and strategizes on how to utilize the pieces they already have to grow and nurture the team to reach their goal. Together, the Duo is out to prove that a little town called Gainesville can make it in the major leagues.
, 
Hirofumi Leung, President
