South Korean fried chicken franchises are accelerating their push into the Americas, opening a string of new outlets in Mexico and the United States.
Genesis BBQ Group, which operates the BBQ chicken chain, has opened its second Mexican outlet, BBQ Cumbres, in Monterrey in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, according to the food service industry on the 8th.
The opening follows the chain's first Mexican store in the capital, Mexico City, last month, extending its footprint from the country's largest consumer market to Monterrey, the core economic hub of the north. In Latin America, BBQ also operates in Panama, Costa Rica, the Bahamas and Colombia.
Dining Brands Group's bhc opened its 10th U.S. outlet in July at an H Mart food court in Irvine, California. The Irvine store spans about 33.06 square meters, making it the chain's second food court-style location after its outlet at H Mart's San Francisco store. Sales topped 10 million won on opening day, the company said, adding that customers lined up outside the store.
bhc opened four U.S. outlets in the first half of the year alone. "Rather than short-term expansion, we plan to add stores in stages after closely reviewing the prospects of taking root locally and the profit structure," a bhc official said.
Foreign Diners Won Over by Korean-Style Chicken
K-chicken brands are stepping up overseas expansion because Korean-style fried chicken has captured foreign palates. Survey data back this up: Korean-style chicken ranked as the Korean dish that overseas consumers eat most often and like most. In November last year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korean Food Promotion Institute released the results of their 2025 overseas Korean food consumer survey, which polled 11,000 consumers in major cities across 22 countries.
Korean-style chicken topped the list of favorite Korean dishes at 14%, followed by kimchi at 9.5%, bibimbap at 8.2%, bulgogi at 5.6%, ramyeon at 5.1%, grilled pork belly at 4.5% and kimchi fried rice at 4.4%. Chicken, at 28.3%, and kimchi, at 28%, also ranked as the Korean dishes foreigners ate most frequently over the past year.
The appeal abroad is attributed to the crisp texture and the range of sauces. In the United States, chicken is often sold precooked, while Korean-style chicken shops fry to order, a practice that has resonated with local consumers. Beyond plain fried chicken, the menus offer sweet-and-spicy yangnyeom, soy sauce and garlic varieties, giving diners a wider choice.
Korean chicken franchises continue to expand their overseas store networks. According to a 2025 survey on the overseas expansion of food service companies released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT), Korean food service companies operated a total of 4,644 outlets in 56 countries last year, including the United States, China and Vietnam. That marks a 24.8% increase from 3,722 in 2020.
Chicken specialists accounted for the largest share by business type. Twenty-eight Korean chicken brands operated 1,809 overseas outlets, or 39.0% of all overseas stores.
By country, chicken specialists had the most outlets in the United States at 555 as of last year, followed by the Philippines at 207, Thailand at 157, Vietnam at 129 and Taiwan at 109. In Kazakhstan, there were no Korean chicken brand outlets as of 2023, but 60 are now in operation.
