BBQ to Open 200-Pyeong Store at Cheonggye Plaza in March... Lotte World Branch Also Scheduled to Open

Opening Large Stores in Jongno and Gwanghwamun
"Shifting from Small Store Focus Strategy During Endemic"
Plan to Make Stores Local Landmarks

BBQ, which introduced small-scale delivery-only stores during the COVID-19 period, is recently increasing its expansion into large stores mainly in key commercial areas such as Jongno and Gwanghwamun.

The chicken franchise Genesis BBQ Group announced on the 18th that it will open a large store with an area of 622㎡ (approximately 200 pyeong) at Cheonggye Plaza in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, this coming March.

Customers visiting BBQ Village Songridan-gil branch are lining up and waiting to enter the store.

The store is two stories tall and features an outdoor terrace and rooftop facilities. Taking advantage of its location right next to Cheonggyecheon near Gwanghwamun, the plan is to make it a landmark not only for office workers near Gwanghwamun but also for citizens enjoying Cheonggyecheon.

Soon, stores of 396㎡ (approximately 120 pyeong) and 562㎡ (approximately 170 pyeong) will be opened at Lotte World Seoul and Lotte World Busan, respectively, which are Korea’s representative amusement parks. There are also plans to enter the Dangsan Station commercial area, a major transportation hub in western Seoul with high foot traffic, in the near future.

A BBQ official said, “With the advent of the COVID endemic, we are partially shifting from the previous strategy focused on small delivery-only stores to concentrating on opening premium large stores such as premium cafes or BBQ Villages for dine-in customers, mainly in key commercial areas.”

In fact, the ‘BBQ Village’ opened in December 2022 in Songridan-gil with an area of 529㎡ (approximately 160 pyeong) has established itself as a landmark in the area by attracting 23,000 visitors per month since its opening, thanks to its unique menu targeting younger generations, including wood-fired pizza, bakery items, and highballs, as well as its store atmosphere. ‘BBQ Village’ has also opened in Ulsan and Busan Myeongji International New City.

The pace of opening large stores has recently accelerated. The BBQ Jongno Jonggak branch, which opened in early December last year with an area of 232㎡ (approximately 70 pyeong), recorded daily sales of 11 million KRW within a month of opening. Shortly after, at the end of December, BBQ opened a 199㎡ (approximately 60 pyeong) store in Deulan-gil, Daegu’s representative food district.

A BBQ official explained, “Large stores have the advantage of offering a wider variety of menus compared to small stores, and customers’ consumption patterns differ, so sales and profitability per store are significantly higher. Since these stores are located in key commercial areas, we also expect considerable brand exposure effects.”

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