Kyochon promotes Korean-style fried chicken in New York

People visit Kyochon F&B's booth at the IFE 2023 in New York, June 2. Courtesy of Kyochon F&B

By Kim Jae-heun

Kyochon F&B participated in the International Franchise Expo (IFE) 2023, held in New York from June 1 to 3, to promote its Korean-style fried chicken to local consumers and increase brand awareness there, the company said Tuesday.

The IFE is the largest franchise expo in the United States, gathering popular brands from all sectors including food service, groceries and health care. This year, it invited 250 companies from 13 countries around the world.

Kyochon opened its booth within the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation's pavilion established at the expo and met with potential business partners. Over 2,000 people visited its booth and asked for business consultations during the event period.

The fried chicken franchise firm also operated a food truck at the expo and offered its famous signature menu items such as Honey Series and Red Series for free.

The company said it will use the expo as a stepping stone to further develop its franchise business globally by first establishing its Kyochon brand in the United States.

“We participated in the expo to check the company's business potential in the U.S. market and we were surprised to see so many people were showing an interest in our business. We will take a step forward in pioneering the U.S. market by continuously interacting with potential buyers we met at the event,” a Kyochon F&B official said.

The company presented four keywords earlier this year ― global, sauce, eco-friendly and platform ― for its new core growth engine. Its participation at the IFE was also aimed at expanding its brand awareness in the U.S. market.