Cupbop (stylized as CUP-BOP) is an American fast casual restaurant chain located in the United States and Indonesia. They serve street-food style Korean barbecue, otherwise known as

cup-bap Cup-bap ( ko, 컵밥) is a food truck offering that consists of ''bap (rice dish), bap'' (rice) in a paper or plastic cup with a variety of toppings. Created in the 2000s for Korea street food, cup-bap has become a popular quick meal or snack for s ...

( ko, 컵밥). Cupbop started out in 2013 as a

food truck A food truck is a large motorized vehicle (such as a van) or trailer, equipped to cook, prepare, serve, and/or sell food. Some, including ice cream trucks, sell frozen or prepackaged food; others have on-board kitchens and prepare food from scratc ...

in Salt Lake County,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

and has grown steadily. The restaurant is credited with bringing Korean BBQ to Utah. As of February 2023, in the United States there are 48 total store locations, six food trucks, and several concessions locations including the Utah Jazz NBA Arena. The chain also operates over 100 locations throughout

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. In 2020 the chain saw $10 million in annual revenue.

History

Junghun Song started Cupbop after finding out that

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural envi ...

was not represented at a Utah food convention in 2013. Song and two of his friends began selling

out of a 20-year-old food truck soon after and became the founders and part-owners of Cupbop. Throughout 2015, Cupbop expanded by opening more food trucks and a brick and mortar restaurant near

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

. The company's recognizable branding led it to be frequently posted on social media and become known around the BYU campus. Cupbop ran local events and marketing campaigns to promote growth. Since its inception, Cupbop has opened over 30 stores across the U.S. and its sales have surpassed 25 million USD (30 billion

won Won may refer to: *The Korean won from 1902–1910 *South Korean won, the currency of the Republic of Korea *North Korean won, the currency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea * Won (Korean surname) * Won (Korean given name) * Won Buddhis ...

). Cupbop saw acclaim in the restaurant industry with its inclusion

Yahoo Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo! Inc. (2017–present), Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds ma ...

's selection of "27 of the Best Food Trucks in America" and was voted as the number one food truck in Utah in 2021. In May 2022, the company's owners appeared on the US television show

Shark Tank ''Shark Tank'' is an American business reality television series that premiered on August 9, 2009, on ABC.Hibberd, James (May 10, 201'Dancing,' 'Bachelor,' and a bigger 'Shark Tank' returning to ABCInsider TV. Retrieved June 24, 2012 The show i ...

and asked for $1 million in exchange for a 3% stake in the company. They made a deal with billionaire investor Mark Cuban, selling him 5 percent of the company for 1 million USD. As of 2022 they operate in six states–Utah,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, and

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

References

{{reflist 2013 establishments in Utah Restaurants established in 2013 Restaurants in Utah Fast-food chains of the United States Fast-food franchises Korean restaurants in the United States

History

Menu

References