Popular Korean fried chicken chain debuts in PH

Genesis BB.Q chair Hong Geun-yoon, former Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson and Genesis BB.Q Asia CEO Hyeun Seok-noh at the opening of the fried chicken chain’s first store in the Philippines.  Contributed photo

South Korean fried chicken chain ‘BB.Q’, which has more than 3,500 branches in 57 countries, opened its first store in the Philippines under a partnership between parent firm Genesis BB.Q and LCS Group of former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson.

The 138-seat restaurant was launched on Friday on the second floor of Central Square in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig which was led by the heads of the two companies.

“Our goal is to open 50,000 franchises worldwide to exceed McDonald’s,” Genesis BB.Q chair Hong Geun-yoon said via a translated speech during the opening ceremony.

The Korean brand, which was introduced in 1995, currently has more than 3,500 branches worldwide, a thousand of which were opened during its first four years of operations. Its entry into the Philippine market forms part of the company’s global expansion.

Yoon said they intended to make the Philippines the Southeast Asian hub of the BB.Q group.

More outlets opening

In an interview with the Inquirer, Singson said they were planning to put up more branches in the Philippines, with the next one coming in mid-2023.

“We need to prepare everything because we want this to be successful. So probably [it will happen] by the middle of [next year],” the LCS executive said, saying that its employees were being trained at the BB.Q group’s cooking university.

Dubbed as the “Chicken University,” the more than 300-square meter facility is located in the South Korean city of Icheon, about 60 kilometers off Seoul.

Singson believes the brand has the potential to become very popular in the Philippines, citing the affinity of Filipinos to Korean culture. He himself is a fan of K-dramas.

“I watch all of them. I love watching all the Korean actresses,” he said.

BB.Q’s chicken dishes have been featured in several Korean dramas, including the series ‘Goblin’ in 2016 and the Netflix television series ‘Crash Landing on You.’ —ALDEN M. MONZON INQ