Genesis BBQ signs deal to open first restaurant in South Africa

Genesis BBQ Chairman Yoon Hong-geun, right, and Good Tree South Africa CEO Lee Dong-il pose after signing a contract authorizing Good Tree South Africa to operate the Korean fried chicken brand in South Africa at the Korean company’s office in Seoul, Nov. 5. Courtesy of Genesis BBQ.

Major fried chicken brand Genesis BBQ has signed a deal to open its first restaurant in South Africa, marking the start of its expansion across the African continent.

The takeout and restaurant franchise said Wednesday that it signed a master franchise agreement with Good Tree South Africa, a distributor of Korean food products in the country.

Genesis BBQ Chairman Yoon Hong-geun and Good Tree South Africa CEO Lee Dong-il attended the signing ceremony at the Korean company’s headquarters in Seoul’s Songpa District on Nov. 5.

Under the agreement, Good Tree South Africa will operate Genesis BBQ’s restaurants in the country and pay royalties to the Korean company.

South Africa, with a population of over 63 million and a median age of 28, offers high growth potential for the restaurant market, according to Genesis BBQ. The company cited the 2024 SAPA Annual Report published by the South African Poultry Association, which showed that the country’s average per capita annual chicken consumption was 36 kilograms.

According to the company, this figure accounts for more than half of the total meat consumed by an average South African. It also shows that South Africans eat more chicken than the global average of 14.6 kilograms per year, and even more than Koreans, who consume 16.2 kilograms annually, according to Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Genesis BBQ said Good Tree South Africa plans to open the brand’s restaurants in major cities, including Cape Town, Johannesburg and Bloemfontein.

“South Africa is our strategic cornerstone for expanding into the African market and promoting K-food globally,” Yoon said. “We’ll introduce new localized menu items and spread Korean food culture centered on K-chicken.”

Genesis BBQ currently operates 2,400 restaurants in Korea and about 700 overseas in 57 countries. The United States has around 250 BBQ restaurants and takeout stores across 30 states, while Canada has more than 100.