K-food goes overseas 
Conditions for global K-franchise : Branding, Stable Supply chain, and Manpower

 

 

On March 13, a “2026 Franchise Future Innovation Forum” was held at the National Assembly in Yeouido. At this forum, many Korean franchise experts gathered, including Vice Chairman Tae Chun Kim of bb.q Global, business professors from famous universities, and people from CJ Foodville. They talked about how to develop Korean franchises. They discussed how the franchise industry can grow from small self-businesses into a national industry connected with K-content.

 

Among many speakers, Vice Chairman Tae Chun Kim’s comments got special attention. He said that global expansion of franchises is not just opening more stores overseas, but expanding the “National brand.” He emphasized that the key to growth is Branding, Stable Supply chain, and Manpower.

 

Tae Chun Kim said that K-pop, K-drama, and K-food have made Korean culture well-known, giving foreign customers both trust and curiosity. He added that competitiveness comes not from price, but from cultural identity and brand story. He also said a strong supply chain is very important. Since franchises are systems that can be copied, if taste and quality are different in each country, people will lose trust in the brand. So, a central supply system, standard cooking process, and stable logistics are necessary.

 

 

Finally, he talked about the importance of people. He said franchises do not just export products, but also education, systems, and brand philosophy. So, companies need to build global standards for cooking methods, operation manuals, and training systems. Participants also agreed that government policy should change from strict regulation to growth support. They suggested cooperation models where small brands can use big companies’ global networks and logistics. They also said a “control tower” is needed to support global expansion.

 

bb.q Global will focus on customized branding, stable supply chains to keep the same quality in all countries, and training people based on the idea that franchising is also an education industry.