BBQ Drives K-Chicken Wave with Bold Expansion and Training
Creatrip Team
22 days ago
Genesis BBQ Group chairman Yun Hong-geun has followed a ‘challenge and execution’ management principle since founding BBQ in 1995. Emphasizing “act immediately, do it without fail, and persist until it works,” the company expanded its franchise rapidly during the 1997 Asian financial crisis and introduced innovations like the golden olive chicken (using olive oil) in 2005. BBQ invested in talent through its 1999 Chicken University (치킨대학) to standardize operations, cooking and service training, and R&D. International growth began in China (2003) and the U.S. (2006); today BBQ operates about 800 stores in 57 countries while maintaining strict cooking and quality standards adapted to local tastes. Global consumer sales rose from roughly KRW 30 billion in 2023 to about KRW 45 billion last year. This year BBQ opened first stores in Honduras, Colombia, Kazakhstan, India and Mexico, and signed master franchise deals in Thailand and Brunei. A company spokesperson says BBQ will keep investing in people, training and quality to fuel further global expansion.
