In Scorching Heat... Chicken Industry Focused on Delivery Expands 'Pub' Stores

Beer and Specialized Snacks Sold Together
bhc Beer Zone Stores Open 50 Locations This Year Alone
BBQ's Chicken & Beer Stores Up 550% Year-on-Year from January to May

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Sunghye] As hot and humid days continue as if entering a steam room, chicken companies are accelerating the opening of pub-style stores where customers can enjoy crispy chicken and ice-cold beer together.

According to the industry on the 18th, bhc Chicken's 'Beer Zone' stores opened this year have exceeded 50. This month, they also opened locations such as Suji Sanghyeon Central Branch. Currently, Beer Zone stores total about 600, accounting for more than 40% of all stores. Beer Zone stores were created by bhc Chicken to expand contact points with the 20s and 30s generation. Customers can broadly enjoy all bhc Chicken menu items, and specialized chicken side dishes such as chicken tteokbokki, spicy braised chicken, cheese chicken gizzards, and fiery hot chicken are sold together with beer.

BBQ 'Chicken and Beer Myeongdong Branch'

In the case of BBQ, the number of cafe-style store openings from January to May increased by 250% compared to the same period last year. A BBQ official stated, "By May, we have already surpassed the total number of cafe-style store openings from last year." The opening of chicken and beer stores increased dramatically by 550% compared to the previous year.

These stores sell various meals and side dishes in addition to the existing chicken menu. Representative items include spicy chicken soup (dakgaejang), chicken soup (dalgomtang), ginseng chicken soup (samgyetang), fried rice varieties, pasta varieties, risotto varieties, and salads. The specialty cafe store 'BBQ Chicken Lemon' targets the premium market and offers chicken dishes from around the world.

Exterior of Goobne Chicken 'Cheonan Seongseong Branch' store

Goobne Chicken is also accelerating the opening of casual pub-style 'Goobne Beer Pub' stores. Currently, 12 stores are operating nationwide, including Singil New Town Branch, Yongin Gangnam University Branch, Bucheon Nambu Station Branch, and Songgang Techno Branch.

At Goobne Beer Pub, customers can enjoy Goobne Chicken, pizza, and various side dishes. The advantage is that freshly baked menu items can be enjoyed immediately in the store. In particular, the baguette ball, launched last May, is a popular hall menu praised for pairing well with beer. The Asan Gwongok Branch, which was remodeled from an existing store into a Goobne Beer Pub in February, achieved a 300% sales growth compared to before remodeling, receiving great response from customers.

Kyochon Chicken Cafe-Style Store 'Sagajeong Station Branch'

Kyochon Chicken's cafe-style stores (over 30 pyeong) created under the concept of spreading 'chimaek culture' numbered 127 as of the end of last month, an increase of 9 from 118 at the end of last year. This accounts for about 10% of the total 1,198 stores. The cafe-style stores are themed to spread chimaek culture, and the handling of alcoholic beverages can be freely decided by the store owners. For example, the Sookdae Branch sells not only beer but also wine. The cafe-style stores also sell hall-exclusive menu items such as 'Kyochon Mala Tteokbokki,' 'Kyochon Egg in Hell,' and 'Kyochon Triple Kkok Chip.'

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.