Genesis BBQ President Shares K-Chicken Business Stories at AIB Conference

Yoon Hong-geun, chairman of Genesis BBQ, the country’s largest fried chicken franchise, shared the global successes of the Korean fried chicken market to international scholars from the Academy of International Business, a leading global association of business academics and professionals.

Under the theme of “World Changer BBQ: An Example of Global Business Innovation,” Yoon introduced the global status and strategy of BBQ at the AIB conference, held at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul on Thursday.

“The definition of Korean cuisine, which used to be limited to dishes like kimchi-jjigae and doenjang-jjigae, has evolved,” Yoon said. “Today, Korean cuisine represents dishes that taste like Korea, made by Korean brands with Korean hands.”

Yoon detailed how BBQ, which started as a small Korean fried chicken business, grew into a global franchise in two decades.

Initially, the company strategically established itself in key regional markets such as China and the United States, and later expanded to 29 of the 50 U.S. states using a differentiation strategy. Yoon also discussed the company’s tailored market entry strategies for various regions, including Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan.

Established in 1959, this year’s AIB conference saw the participation of experts from 97 countries, including Peter Liesch, AIB President and Professor at the University of Queensland, and Gary Knight, newly elected President and Professor at Willamette University.

At the conference held in Seoul for the first time in 30 years since 1995, BBQ was selected as the only franchise company representing K-food to receive a special invitation from AIB for this year, the company said.

“We will be the leaders in K-food and, with our accumulated know-how, we aim to enable 8 billion people around the world to enjoy barbecue chicken and improve their quality of life,” Yoon said.

Meanwhile, BBQ is running ads on the Times Square billboard in New York City from Monday through August 4. The event has long been Yoon’s personal dream since he launched the global BBQ business.

Since its first overseas expansion in 2003, the chicken franchise has entered 57 countries, including the United States, Canada, Panama, Costa Rica, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Japan.