Gen Korean BBQ is an American chain of
all-you-can-eat
An all-you-can-eat restaurant (AYCE) is a type of restaurant in which a fixed price is charged for entry, after which diners may consume as much food as they wish. All-you-can-eat establishments are frequently buffets.
Buffets
The all-you-can- ...
Korean barbecue
Korean barbecue ( ko, 고기구이, ''gogi-gui,'' 'meat roast') is a popular method in Korean cuisine of grilling meat, typically beef, pork or chicken. Such dishes are often prepared on gas or charcoal grills built into the dining table itself. So ...
restaurants mainly concentrated around the Western U.S.
It opened in 2011, and has since grown to 36 locations as of 2024.
History
The restaurant was founded in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
in 2011, by
David Kim and Jae Chang, a pair of Korean immigrants.
Kim had previously been the CEO of
Baja Fresh
Baja Fresh is an American chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Newbury Park, California in 1990 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and is owned by Canadian franchisor MTY Food Group. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, e ...
and
La Salsa
La Salsa is a chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Los Angeles in 1979 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and is owned by Canadian franchisor MTY Food Group. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, and each restaurant fea ...
.
The first restaurant was in
Tustin
Tustin is a city located in Orange County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city is located next to the county seat, Santa Ana, and does not include the unincorporated community ...
. It gradually expanded through Southern California until 2015, when a location in
San Jose in Northern California opened.
It also opened its first eatery outside of California in 2015, in
Henderson, Nevada.
Its first Hawaiian location was opened in the
Ala Moana Center
The Ala Moana Center, commonly known simply as Ala Moana, is a large open-air shopping mall in the Ala Moana neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. Owned by Brookfield Properties, Ala Moana is the eleventh largest shopping mall in the United States an ...
in 2016,
while the first in Texas opened in
Carrollton that same year.
In 2016, Gen launched Gen Delivers, a
food delivery
Retail food delivery is a courier service in which a restaurant, store, or independent food-delivery company delivers food to a customer. An order is typically made either through a restaurant or grocer's website or mobile app, or through a food ...
service that sells ingredients for Korean barbecue online.
In 2017, the company opened a restaurant in
Montclair that utilized robots to serve food.
A restaurant in the Philippines, in the
SM Mall of Asia
SM Mall of Asia, also abbreviated as SM MoA, or simply Mall of Asia or MoA, is a large shopping mall in the Philippines, located at Bay City, Metro Manila, Bay City, Pasay, Philippines, within the SM Central Business Park, a reclaimed area with ...
, opened in 2017, becoming the company's first international location.
The first location in Arizona was in
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
, which also opened in 2017 in
Tempe Marketplace.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, instead of closing their restaurants, the company converted them into discount meat markets to stay in business.
The chain won Silver in "Best Yakiniku/Korean BBQ" in the 2021
Hale Aina Awards.
The first location in the Eastern United States was opened in 2022, in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
A location in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
opened in January 2023, at the intersection between
14th St and
3rd Ave.
Gen went public on the
Nasdaq on June 26, 2023, as GENK, raising $43.2 million in its
IPO
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...
.
Menu
Gen's menu usually has 28-36 items, which include
daikon
Daikon or mooli, ''Raphanus sativus'' var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon is harvested and consumed ...
radish paper, ''
sundubu-jjigae
''Sundubu-jjigae''
* (, -豆腐--) is a ''jjigae'' in Korean cuisine. The dish is made with freshly curdled soft tofu (dubu) which has not been strained and pressed, vegetables, sometimes mushrooms, onion, optional seafood (commonly oysters ...
'', ''
saengchae
''Saengchae'' is a kind of Korean salad generally consisting of uncooked mixed seasonal vegetables such as radishes and other ingredients such as chicken or jellyfish.
There are many types of ''saengchae'' depending on ingredients. For example, cu ...
'', ''
japchae
''Japchae'' () is a savory and slightly sweet dish of stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables that is popular in Korean cuisine.
* ''Japchae'' is typically prepared with '' dangmyeon'' (당면, 唐麵), a type of cellophane noodles made from ...
'', ''
kimchi
''Kimchi'' (; ko, 김치, gimchi, ), is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including '' gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), ...
'',
potato salad
Potato salad is a salad dish made from boiled potatoes, usually containing a dressing and a variety of other ingredients such as boiled eggs and raw vegetables.
In the United States, it is generally considered a side dish and usually accompanie ...
, ''
bulgogi
''Bulgogi'' (불고기; ; from Korean ''bul-gogi'' ), literally "fire meat", is a ''gui'' (구이; Korean-style grilled or roasted dish) made of thin, marinated slices of meat, most commonly beef, grilled on a barbecue or on a stove-top grid ...
'',
American Angus and
Wagyu
Wagyu ( ja, 和牛, Hepburn: ''wagyū'', ) is the collective name for the four principal Japanese breeds of beef cattle. All wagyū cattle derive from cross-breeding in the early twentieth century of native Japanese cattle with imported sto ...
beef, ''
gopchang
''Gopchang'' (Hangul: ) can refer to the small intestines of cattle (or large intestines of pig) or to a ''gui'' (grilled dish) made of the small intestines. The latter is also called ''gopchang-gui'' (; "grilled intestines"). The tube-shaped of ...
'', ''
galbi
''Galbi''
* (), ''galbi-gui'' (), or grilled ribs, is a type of ''gui'' (grilled dish) in Korean cuisine. "''Galbi''" is the Korean word for "rib", and the dish is usually made with beef short ribs. When pork spare ribs or another meat is us ...
'', shrimp,
octopus,
''yangnyeom'' chicken, ''
samgyeopsal
''Samgyeopsal'' (; ), ''samgyeopsal-gui'' ( ), or grilled pork belly is a type of ''gui'' (grilled dish) in Korean cuisine.
Etymology
Directly translated from Korean, ''samgyeop-sal'' () means "three layer flesh," referring to striations of ...
'', and ''
jokbal
''Jokbal''(족발) is a Korean dish consisting of pig's trotters cooked with soy sauce and spices.[Jokbal]
a ...
''.
Locations
As of 2024, Gen has 36 restaurants, with four upcoming locations. Most restaurants are in California, in the
Greater Los Angeles
Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...
metropolitan area. Although the locations are concentrated around the West, one eatery exists in Florida and New York. Hawaii has three, with one opening in
Maui. Other soon-to-be-opened restaurants are in
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
,
Tukwila, Washington
Tukwila ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located immediately to the south of Seattle. The population was 21,798 at the 2020 census.
Tukwila is a community of communities, with residents of many diverse origi ...
, and
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
.
There is also a restaurant in the Philippines, in the
SM Mall of Asia
SM Mall of Asia, also abbreviated as SM MoA, or simply Mall of Asia or MoA, is a large shopping mall in the Philippines, located at Bay City, Metro Manila, Bay City, Pasay, Philippines, within the SM Central Business Park, a reclaimed area with ...
.
In Southern California, the restaurant is popular with students from
UC Irvine
UC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* '' University Challenge'', a popular British quiz programme airing on BBC Two
** ''University Challenge (New Zealand)'', the New Zealand version of the British programme
* Universal Century, one of the t ...
.
It plans to open locations in Oregon, Georgia, Virginia, Utah and also in the District of Columbia in the future.
References
Notes
{{notelist
External links
Official website
2011 establishments in California
American brands
Companies listed on the Nasdaq
Food and drink companies established in 2011
Restaurant chains in the United States
Retail companies established in 2011