[K-Food] K-Food, a brand entering the US market

• Franchise expansion into the U.S. is booming thanks to the popularity of K-food’

*Source_JoongAng Ilbo

Demand for Korean food increases due to the spread of the Korean Wave

Many companies are operating in North America

Also popular as an investment immigration business

As Korean entertainment is gaining popularity in the U.S., so-called ‘K-food’ restaurant companies are entering the U.S. market. These companies have begun aggressive business expansion thanks to the popularity of K-food, and immigration through investments such as franchises is also increasing.

‘92 Chicken Gui’, which has become famous as a Korean-style chicken restaurant in the central and eastern regions, recently began recruiting franchise owners. The company said, “Korean chicken is now a culture enjoyed by people all over the world,” and conveyed the changing tastes of American locals.

A company official said, “With the rise of Korean pop culture such as K-pop, Americans’ preference for Korean food has also grown,” adding, “In the case of chicken, the US has simple types such as KFC. However, there are many different types of Korean chicken and the sauce tastes different,” he said.

He continued, “Big cities such as LA are already saturated with Korean chicken restaurants,” and added, “We are targeting locals in places like Ohio, Denver, and South Carolina. Investment visa (E2) consultation is also available,” he added.

The popularity of K-food is also confirmed by the expansion of Korean restaurant companies into the United States. According to aT Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation, Korean franchise companies that have entered the United States include ‘Paris Baguette, Yukdaejang, Pelicana Chicken, Joe’s Tteokbokki, Youth Cafe, BBQ, BHC Chicken, Kyochon Chicken, Youth Cafe, and CheongKwanJang.’

 

  As of last September, Paris Baguette opened its 150th North American franchise, and BBQ opened its 250th branch as of October. CheongKwanJang, which recently began recruiting franchise owners, is expanding franchises in major cities where many Koreans and Asians live and is welcoming the increase in online sales.

  Attorney Lee Yo-han said, “After the coronavirus, more Korean franchises came to the United States, and this phenomenon is expected to continue. From the perspective of Korean companies, entering the U.S. franchise market is advantageous in future corporate valuation, investment attraction, and sales. “In the United States, trends are less likely to occur, so (if they become established), sales will increase,” he said.

  The LA branch of the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation also provides legal advice necessary for Korean companies to register franchises in California. Through the localization support project, we also support ‘English food nutritional information labeling, food customs clearance, packaging design, and FDA factory registration’ for Korean food ingredients.

  Branch Manager Kim Min-ho said, “Demand for Korean food such as beef jerky and chicken has recently increased by 30-40%. “Most of the increased demand is from locals (rather than Koreans),” he said. There was also analysis that the popularity of K-food leads to investment immigration. It is known that some investment immigrants have immigrated to the United States through investments in K-food franchises or related restaurant businesses.

 

• K-Food Tech accelerates entry into the US

*Source_Mart Today (https://www.smarttoday.co.kr)

Digital dining platform ‘Monthly Kitchen’ and restaurant operation solution ‘Munkey Orders’ target the US market.

Following K-pop, K-drama, and K-food, K-food tech, which introduces new technologies to the food and restaurant industries, is attracting attention around the world. In particular, K-food tech companies based on innovative ideas and technology are actively entering the United States, which can be said to be the center of the global market.

There are various types of K-food tech currently entering the U.S. market. Leading companies in various fields that have been proven and successful in Korea, such as unmanned ordering and store management systems such as POS, kiosks, and ordering apps, serving robots and cooking robots, vegan and alternative foods, and K franchises such as chicken and bakery, are entering the U.S. market in earnest.

Monthly Kitchen (brand name: Munkey), a digital dining platform startup, signed an export contract with POS PARTNER, located in New York, USA, for ‘Munky Orders’, a cloud-based restaurant operation solution, in April. The total contract size is $8.15 million (approximately KRW 10.6 billion), and Munkie Orders will be used in F&B stores such as restaurants, bakeries, and cafes in New York, USA.

Munkie Orders is an integrated management solution that interconnects online and offline orders and sales through the ordering app and kiosk, which are order reception channels, and POS, the order processing channel. The feature is that it can be applied to any format.

• BBQ has planted its flag in 26 states, more than half of the United States... Alabama also entered

*Source_Yonhap News

Chicken franchise Genesis BBQ Group has expanded its stores to 26 states, more than half of the 50 states, in 17 years since entering the United States in 2006.

BBQ announced on the 5th that it recently opened a store in Mobile, Alabama, increasing the number of states with stores in the U.S. to 26. Mobile is the third largest city in Alabama after Birmingham and Montgomery.

BBQ plans to open its second Alabama location in Montgomery.

Starting with 32nd Street in Manhattan, New York, BBQ has expanded its operations to New Jersey, Texas, California, Colorado, and Hawaii, and operates over 250 stores in 26 states in the United States.

BBQ announced that it will actively invest in overseas business expansion, opening stores throughout the United States and increasing the number of franchises to 50,000 worldwide.

Last August, BBQ was ranked 7th among the ‘fastest growing restaurant brands in the United States’ by the US restaurant industry magazine ‘Nations Restaurant News’.

• American restaurant media “BBQ, a K-brand growing rapidly across the United States“ 
  

Chicken franchise Genesis BBQ Group announced on the 13th that it was recently introduced as 'K-Chicken that Americans are passionate about' in QSR Magazine, an American restaurant media outlet.

• BBQ spreads success know-how to companies hoping to enter the U.S.

*Source_Unique Details