Joey Cornell

Joey Cornell, an Elmhurst, Illinois native, never planned to run a wing restaurant. After graduating from Johnson & Wales University, he earned his CPA license, spending years working in accounting. The pull of food never faded, though. He stayed active as a member of York High School's La Brigade restaurant program, mentoring students even as he built his accounting career. The shift came when he opened Dak Dak Korean Wings in nearby Villa Park, Illinois. The fast-casual spot cut through the crowded suburban wing scene with one clear differentiator: the double fry.

Cornell has said repeatedly that frying his wings twice gives them a shatteringly crisp exterior that stays crunchy even under the shop's signature Korean sauces. The opening was an immediate local hit. Food creators stopped by almost immediately to sample the menu: Ric Gruber Jr. Featured the shop in episode 2 of his HIBT Podcast, while local TikTok and Instagram creators called the wings the most talked-about in the Villa Park area. Local outlets including the Daily Herald and Patch covered the opening, framing it as a homegrown native's take on a global staple.

Cornell's accounting background proved useful for a fast-casual startup, he's noted, helping him navigate tight margins and price his menu to stay accessible for families and after-work crowds. Now the shop is a regular stop for local food media, with Cornell often leading kitchen tours to walk visitors through his double-fry process. He's maintained his ties to the York La Brigade program too, bringing in students for internships and kitchen shadow shifts, passing on the hospitality lessons he first learned at Johnson & Wales. It remains a neighborhood staple built on a single, specific cooking technique and a local owner's refusal to stick to the accounting track he once followed.