The first step for Andy Lee was establishing a business in the community he had called home as a Penn State student. The second was giving back to that community.

Lee is the owner of Tasty K, a Korean fried chicken restaurant that launched in October 2023 on Calder Way in downtown State College. He has since led numerous philanthropic efforts, including collecting gifts for area children in assisted living in December and holding a fundraising competition among university Greek organizations in the spring. The restaurant also donated chicken to foster homes, homeless shelters, and veterans for Thanksgiving. Lee has enlisted several University Park students as brand ambassadors, which helps the business maintain an active social media presence and connect with the student community.

Lee, a native of South Korea who came to the United States as a teenager, worked as a marketing product manager in San Francisco before learning about the restaurant business—the operations and management side in particular—at a family friend’s restaurant. “My aspiration to open Tasty K originated during my years at Penn State,” says Lee, who played soccer at Penn State Berks.

Tasty K’s chicken, served with french fries or rice, is prepared in a traditional Korean style—hand-breaded and fried twice, the second time at a higher temperature. The restaurant offers a sweet and spicy gochujang-based sauce and a soy-based sauce, with plans to launch additional sauce options later this year.