BBQ chicken boss donates $750,000 to alma mater to help aspiring entrepreneurs

Emphasizing a deeper managerial pool — not larger cash reserves — as a potential buffer against economic uncertainties, Genesis BBQ Chairman Yoon Hong-geun recently donated 1 billion won ($750,000) to his alma mater, Chosun University, to support programs aimed at educating the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Genesis BBQ Chairman Yoon Hong-geun / Courtesy of Genesis BBQ

Genesis BBQ Group said the funds will be used by the private university in Gwangju to expand education and research infrastructure, improve learning environments, and support programs aimed at cultivating globally competitive experts.

Genesis BBQ, founded in 1995 as a fried chicken restaurant in Gyeonggi Province, now runs nearly 4,000 outlets in 57 countries. With Korea’s market nearing saturation, Yoon is betting on skilled employees to keep Genesis BBQ competitive.

Yoon said the contribution was intended to return the support he received as a student and to help build a foundation for aspiring young people to succeed internationally.

Genesis BBQ’s initiatives extend beyond Korea.

In 2023, the company visited the Culinary Institute of America to take part in discussions on industry-academia cooperation and awarded $30,000 in scholarships to cultivate future leaders in the food service sector. During the visit to the institute’s Hyde Park campus in New York, Yoon also explored recruitment opportunities and expanded scholarship support linked to the company’s U.S. operations.

Internally, Genesis BBQ has taken steps to retain workers by sharply raising pay. In 2024, it increased starting salaries for new college graduates by 33.5 percent to 45.4 million won, exceeding the average among major domestic chicken franchise operators.

Those efforts earned Yoon the Human Development Institute’s HDI Human Management Award late last year, recognizing leadership grounded in respect for people.