At A Glance

Gheanna leads customer experience at Momofuku Goods with a simple principle: trust your team. In this interview, she shares how a lean CX operation can still deliver standout support, by encouraging agents to think critically, act with empathy, and go off-script when it counts.

Who is Gheanna Emelia?

Meet Gheanna, the Customer Experience Manager at Momofuku Goods!

About Momofuku Goods

Momofuku means “lucky peach.” Founded by David Chang, the brand operates acclaimed restaurants and in 2020 started Momofuku Goods, a line of restaurant-grade pantry products. Momofuku Goods aims to redefine the American pantry by giving home cooks access to restaurant-grade essentials that make cooking more fun, enjoyable, and delicious.

Gheanna’s CX Journey

Gheanna joined Momofuku Goods in late September 2023, stepping into the role of Customer Experience Manager. At that point, the brand was already a few years in—but for her, it still felt like building something new.

“It’s kind of wild,” she says. “We’re this young brand, but part of something with a 20-year legacy.” That duality, new but rooted, was part of the appeal. She wasn’t just joining a startup; she was joining a family with history and a customer base that cared.

That’s part of what made the transition exciting. “We have the luxury and privilege of the legacy,” she says. But it also meant the pressure was on to match the tone, the culture, and the customer relationships that had already been carefully built.

What Excites Gheanna About CX

For Gheanna, customer experience isn’t just about systems, technology, or strategy, it’s about making real human connections. She admits that it can feel "mushy" to talk about, but when customers express how well they’ve been taken care of, it resonates deeply with her. "I think sometimes people’s expectations are really low, or they feel like they’re not talking to a human," she says.

But for her, the core of customer experience is simple: it’s about ensuring that customers feel heard, valued, and supported. When she reads positive CSAT (customer satisfaction) feedback, she lights up. "When something that a customer thought wouldn’t be taken care of is, and it's done quickly and thoughtfully, that’s what excites me."

Though new technologies like AI are changing the landscape, Gheanna remains committed to keeping the human touch in CX. She’s passionate about continuing to push the boundaries of what "surprise and delight" means in today’s digital-first world. “It's about staying creative and thinking about how we can surprise and delight customers in unexpected ways," she explains, especially in bridging the gap between online and offline channels.

The CX Team at Momofuku

The customer experience (CX) team at Momofuku Goods is small and tight-knit, with Gheanna describing it as "pretty lean," consisting of two full-time agents, a customer success manager, and herself. She keeps the team personal and makes sure they have the freedom to think critically: “I really try to make sure that they have all the encouragement to think critically and respond in the way that they want to.”

This approach mirrors the broader structure of Momofuku, which, despite its reputation, operates with a smaller workforce than many might expect. As Gheanna notes, "With the Momofuku reputation, I think everyone thinks that we're like some sort of big corporation, and we're really not."

Gheanna finds managing a small team more of a privilege than a challenge, highlighting the value of having a tight-knit group. However, the team is constantly adapting, particularly when it comes to staying up to date with testing, AB tests, and promotions. "What we're finding our stride on continuously is just making sure that they are up to date on everything that's going on, maybe outside of Gorgias," she says. "When we are constantly reiterating on these tests and promotions, making sure that they understand what's going on so that they can best, you know, answer a customer's question."

She acknowledges the team's dedication, noting, "They're just incredible, but they ask good questions, and that's the kind of feeling that I want to foster in them." For Gheanna, the goal is to ensure that her team members can take what they learn and apply it to future roles, saying, "If they don't stay with us forever, they'll be able to like take whatever it is that they learn and do it somewhere else or do it in a different job."

When it comes to measuring success, Gheanna values the intangible qualities in her team's work. "Yes, you can solve 50 tickets in an hour, and speed and efficiency are important," she says. "But are you doing it with thoughtfulness as well, where people are coming back? Are you just churning out macros? For me, that's not really ultimately what an experience is. And I don't think that that's what we want to provide for our customers."

CX Team Success Factors

Gheanna explains that her team is primarily email-based, with chat still in the early stages. "Since we’re a lean team, we're not really there yet, and I don’t think our customers are either." The company does have a strong community group of over 35,000 members, where customers share recipes and discuss products. "It’s more about the brand than orders or issues," she notes.

Interestingly, the community often directs new members to email support when they need help. "They’re immediately like, 'Email support; they’ll take care of you.'" Gheanna sees this as a great reflection of how well the company is doing and appreciates that the group holds the brand accountable when needed, though it’s not a channel for direct order inquiries. "It’s not a place to ask, 'Can someone help me with my order?'"

Tech Stack

Wonderment

Gorgias

Junip

Tik Tok Shop

Revenue Generation/AI/topics of interest 

Gheanna explains that the team isn’t rushing to adopt AI just for the sake of it. "We're not adopting for the sake of early adoption," she says. With a CSAT score of 4.93, the team is already performing at a high level, so any new technology would need to truly enhance the customer experience. In addition, to keep in touch with the community, Gheanna also conducts 1-on-1 customer interviews with members of the Momofuku Facebook community group! It really helps to get to know the customers beyond their order history/beyond statistics, and they've also told her how much it makes them feel heard as a customer.

While AI isn’t an immediate priority, Gheanna is focused on finding ways to continue surprising and delighting customers. She also highlights the importance of improving the site experience, ensuring that customers know exactly what they’re getting when they order online.

Biggest Advice

“If you want to be a better leader, think about how you’re fostering a culture where your team feels empowered to make decisions,” Gheanna says. While tools like macros and scripts are useful, she believes the real magic happens when agents know when and how to go off script, especially with loyal customers who deserve a more personalized experience.