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US has highest number of K-brand restaurants, overtaking China
An ad for Genesis BBQ is displayed at Times Square in Manhattan, New York City, in this September 2025 photo. Courtesy of Genesis BBQ
By Ko Dong-hwan
Fried chicken franchises, bakeries most popular
The United States has more Korean franchise restaurants than China, overturning a ranking that had remained unchanged for the past five years, government data showed Thursday.
A joint report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. showed that as of December 2025, the U.S. had more than 1,100 Korean franchise outlets, while China had 830. In 2020, China was far ahead of the U.S., with 1,368 stores compared to 528.
“The most notable point over the past five years is a shift in K-food’s main global market,” the government said in the report.
Compared with 2020, the number of Korean outlets in the U.S. in 2025 surged by 109 percent, accounting for 24 percent of the global market.
China, meanwhile, saw the number of such outlets fall 39.3 percent over the same period, reducing its share to 18 percent.
The contraction in China was driven by intensifying competition that prompted some Korean companies to slow or halt expansion there, the ministry said.
The market growth of Korean brands in the U.S., according to the government, indicates that Korean food firms have ended their focus on “quantitative growth” and are now pursuing “qualitative growth.” Quantitative growth refers to companies’ past emphasis on rapidly opening stores across China and Southeast Asian countries. That phase, the ministry added, has shifted as select categories of Korean brands — led by fried chicken and bakeries — have gained strong local popularity and begun expanding their global presence.
The most active brands in the U.S. are fried chicken chains Genesis BBQ and Bonchon Chicken, as well as bakery brands Paris Baguette of SPC Group and Tous Les Jours of CJ Foodville. These two food categories also dominate Korean brands' global market, together accounting for 64 percent, with 1,809 fried chicken stores and 1,182 bakery shops worldwide. Their global popularity has also increased compared with five years ago.
Overall, Korean food companies are now operating 4,644 outlets in 56 countries, up from 3,722 stores in 48 countries in 2020. After the U.S. and China, Vietnam had the third-largest number of Korean franchise outlets, followed by the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Canada, Indonesia and Japan. Excluding China, all of those countries have seen an increase in store numbers compared with 2020.
Popular categories of Korean brands overseas also include traditional Korean cuisine, pizza, hamburgers, street food, coffee, liquor and other beverages.