Bonchon Celebrates U.S. Growth with 150th Restaurant Opening

U.S. expansion plans

“This year is off to an exciting start with new store openings and franchise agreements, bringing Bonchon’s craveable Korean fried chicken to even more guests,” says Bonchon CEO Suzie Tsai. “We’re accelerating successful initiatives from 2024 for the good of our franchise family and customers.”

Bonchon supports franchisees with the recipe for success including a distinctive menu, integrated technology stack, flexible store formats, and optimized operational tools they need to be successful and provide a great guest experience.

The restaurant brand anticipates that technology adoption will increase with many existing and new stores introducing kiosks. Through its partnership with Bite, Bonchon’s kiosks give customers a user-friendly, intuitive ordering experience. In tests, kiosk orders resulted in higher check totals and more satisfied guest experiences.

Catering and technology

Catering will be a focus in 2025 following an impressive foundational year. Catering spiked by 54% in 2024 from 2023, due to technology adoption and thoughtful decisions like menu optimization and packaging enhancements to upgrade the catering experience. Korean fried chicken is newer to the catering space and a growing number of Bonchon restaurants are focused on large-scale catering opportunities.

Co-franchisees Sherry Askander and Sam Takla, long-time fans of the brand, brought Bonchon to Tampa for the first time in September 2024. They will open additional Tampa restaurants this year and their experience reflects Bonchon’s growth trends.

“We believe Bonchon is above any other restaurant in taste, quality, and execution, and are glad we could share it with our community,” says Askander. “Our neighbors love the food and experience, and catering is a significant part of our business already.”

The company will also continue to innovate its menu with exciting launches to come. Bonchon International R&D Chef Jae Park is relocating to the company’s Dallas headquarters, increasing culinary leadership attention on the U.S. market.

Last year, Bonchon opened new stores in California, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Colorado, New York, Alabama, and New Jersey. Bonchon broke franchising records in 2024 in terms of deals sold and continues to attract new franchise partners. It anticipates 2025 will be another record-breaking year for the franchise.

South Korea-born Bonchon, which translates as “my hometown,” was established in the United States in 2006. Known for its hand-battered, double-fried, crazy crispy Korean fried chicken, Bonchon sets out to have its fans around the world “Crunch Out Loud”. The brand continues to grow in popularity and has earned several accolades, including Fast Casual Magazine’s 2024 Top Movers & Shakers. For more information, visit bonchon.com. To learn more about franchise opportunities, visit franchising.bonchon.com. Follow Bonchon on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tik Tok, X, and YouTube.