If you’ve dined in the Student Union this year, you’ve likely seen the area dedicated to Ramen Monster with what appear to be high-tech coffee makers and a bright red steam machine.

You’ll also find Ramen Monster in Gardner Commons, C Roland Christensen Center, Peterson Heritage Center, Lassonde Studios and the Honors Café which fills a niche to provide more Asian cuisine options to students, along with faculty and staff, across campus.

Ramen Monster’s journey to the U began in 2024 as a simple idea by U alumnus Andy Lee. When he was completing his undergraduate degree (2013) in accounting on campus, he couldn’t find much if any Asian cuisine to remind him of his heritage.

“I was an international student at the U long-term. There were only a few dining options, so I thought, what if we actually had Asian, ramen stuff, or a convenience menu?,” recalled Lee.

Ten years later, a survey done by U Dining Services found that “the top two items students wanted on campus were ramen/pho and boba,” said Benjamin Johnson, U Dining Services marketing director. “In summer of 2024, we worked to bring both options to campus, introducing Ramen Monster for ramen.”

Lee, who is Ramen Monster’s CFO, and his business partner and CEO Joon Park brought the flavors of Korean ramen to the U campus prior to the start of the 2024-25 school year. With a focus on speed and convenient, Ramen Monster is inspired by South Korea’s popular instant ramen culture, bringing a piece of Korean culinary tradition to U diners in less than 4 minutes.

The ramen menu in all six Ramen Monster outlets offers 15 different flavors of Korean ramen and three flavors of steamed buns (currently available at the Student Union only), ensuring there’s something for everyone. All of the flavors are marked with spice levels ranging from 1 chili to 5 chilies. Broths range from savory tonkotsu to a beefy and spicy Shin Ramyun Black (3 chilies) that comes with dehydrated garlic and mushrooms that rehydrate when heated. Most popular, according to Lee, by an amount above all other flavors combined, is the Buldak Cream Carbonara spicy chicken flavor—possibly because of its feature in the “Spicy Noodle Challenge” that’s all the buzz on social media around the world. It has wide noodles, both a dry and sauce packets that you add before eating and definitely features creamy heat (5 chilies).

Diners can add additional toppings from the refrigerator like a smoked egg, mini pepperoni, pickled radish and sliced cheese. Instant rice can also be heated in a microwave.

Newest to the Ramen Monster menu are steamed buns. Three flavors—hot chicken, vegetable and red bean and butter—steam to 80 degrees and deliver hot, flavorful fillings wrapped in perfectly pillowy dough.

The buns are part of Lee’s goal to, “provide a new menu every semester, so spring semester, we added steam buns.”

Monday through Friday, buns, ramen and add ins are restocked each morning to deliver fresh flavors and refresh favorites.

According to Johnson, “The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with ramen and steamed buns being particularly popular. On average, Ramen Monster sells over 2,500 bowls of ramen and 250+ steamed buns each month.”

With a successful start at the U this year, the business model for Ramen Monster will continue to focus on college campuses, although they’ve had interest from 35 different companies including school districts and government agencies across the country as well. “I was very fortunate to contract with Utah Valley University starting this year,” said Lee.

He attributes Ramen Monster’s early success to both University Dining Services and his education at the U. “I learned accounting skills from the U and I used my skills to turn this into a modern business.”

With Ramen Monster locations across campus, students, faculty and staff will find it convenient to enjoy a hot bowl of ramen or steamed bun between classes, during lunch breaks, or after a long day of studying.