Korean fried chicken chains bhc, BBQ and Kyochon are driving sales with new menu hits as domestic growth stalls. BBQ’s seasoning chicken “Bboomchiking” (뿜치킹) sold over 1 million pieces in 100 days, combining four cheeses and yogurt powder; BBQ also launched cheese-seasoned corn side dishes. bhc’s “Kwasakking” (콰삭킹), a crunchy-coated chicken using potato and corn bits, surpassed 7 million cumulative sales—its fastest-growing item after the popular “Ppurinkle” (뿌링클). Kyochon diversified its lineup with a mala-spiced “Mara Red” (마라레드) series and reintroduced traditional soy and fried flavors. The three brands are pushing new products to boost repeat purchases (“house rabbit,” i.e., loyal domestic customers) amid a saturated home market, rising costs and competition from cheap supermarket and frozen chicken. Financially, bhc led 2024 industry sales but saw slight decline, BBQ grew thanks to more large directly-operated stores, and Kyochon has yet to fully recover past revenue. Chains are also expanding overseas while using new menus to defend domestic share.
