Fried chicken franchises open unconventional flagship stores to attract young consumers

The secret door to Kyochon F&B's newly opened flagship store, Kyochon Pilbang, in central Seoul's Yongsan District / Courtesy of Kyochon F&B

By Kim Jae-heun

Local fried chicken franchises are opening unconventional flagship stores to attract young customers and foreign tourists amid falling demand for online food delivery services, company officials said Thursday.

Kyochon F&B, operator of Kyochon Chicken, opened its flagship store, Kyochon Pilbang, in central Seoul's Yongsan District on June 8. It has a speakeasy bar concept with a traditional Korean interior design aesthetic that reflects current dining trends popular among young people.

“We introduced Kyochon Pilbang to show a new side of our brand to millennials and Generation Z customers. Since we are a franchise operating company, we have always needed to promote our brand,” a Kyochon F&B official said. “We also want to make it into a new tourist attraction for foreigners, who love Korean-style fried chicken.”

The flagship restaurant offers premium foods that are slightly more expensive than its existing dishes. Its prices range from 26,000 won ($19.75) to 39,000 won. The store also created a private room for customers to enjoy Omakase-style fried chicken for 59,000 won per person.

People eat at Goobne Play Town in western Seoul's Mapo District, Monday. Korea Times file

Goobne, operated by GN Food, has decided to target young customers with a cost-effective menu at its newly opened flagship store Goobne Play Town in western Seoul's Mapo District on June 15.

The menu has an exclusive item called Goobne Roasted Chicken, which is sold for only 9,900 won. It is relatively cheap compared to the average prices of local fried chicken franchises, which are set at nearly 20,000 won nowadays. It also has a “happy hour” discount for limited items during certain times, on a daily basis.

Another prominent characteristic of Goobne Play Town is that it has space for musicians and dancers to perform and entertain.

The four-story building has a to-go special shop on the first floor and a playground on the second. The third floor has media art and photo zones and the fourth has a creative studio for people to enjoy various exhibitions.

“We aim to create various cultural contents at Play Town while developing it into a community space where anybody can come and enjoy,” a GN Food official said.

The menu of Genesis BBQ's flagship store, BBQ Village, located in southeastern Seoul's Songpa District, has over items including not only fried chicken but also pasta, pizza, baked goods and caffeine beverages.

The restaurant stays open until 2 a.m. so that its customers can show up late and still have the option to eat a variety of foods.

Its average daily sales already increased more than 40 percent compared to when it first opened last December, and it usually sees lineups of 100 people waiting to get in on weekends.

“We have many foreign tourists visiting our flagship store after they shop at nearby Lotte World. Our BBQ Village in Songpa District is big enough to take 40 to 50 customers at once, which is its strength in holding large groups of tourists,” a Genesis BBQ official said.