▶ 450 Korean restaurants, including chicken restaurants, opened since 2018
▶ Focused on large cities such as LA and New York
▶Ramen, kimchi, and corn dogs are popular
As K-culture, including K-pop, becomes popular around the world, an analysis suggests that the influence of Korean food in the U.S. restaurant industry is expanding exponentially.
According to Circana, a consumer behavior organization, on the 22nd, the number of Korean restaurants in the United States increased by 10% last year alone. Since 2018, 450 Korean restaurants have opened in the United States alone, with 36% of them concentrated in major markets such as New York, LA, and San Francisco.
Circana explained that Korean restaurants are showing an increase in both full-service restaurants (FSR) and quick-service restaurants (QSR), such as fast food restaurants.
“The Korean Wave is the driving force that made Korean pop culture famous around the world, from K-pop to K-drama, since the 1990s,” said Tim Fiers, head of Circana’s global food service team. “Now, thanks to platforms like TikTok, its influence is growing.” “It has expanded further,” he said. He emphasized, “With the Korean Wave growing in popularity, introducing Korean food in the U.S. is a unique opportunity to tap into the growing demand.”
According to Circana, ▲Korean fried chicken ▲Korean corn dogs ▲Korean ramen ▲kimchi ▲Korean sauce ▲dalgona coffee ▲bubble tea are gaining sensational popularity in the United States.
First of all, in the case of Korean fried chicken, there are a total of 7 chicken chains in the United States, including Bongchon Chicken, BBQ, Kyochon, Pelican, Wingstop, BHC, and CM, and these companies have a total of 405 stores. The number of these companies increased by 22% compared to last year, and the number of stores has doubled since 2019.
Korean corn dogs also caught the attention of Gen Z. There are currently 242 Korean corn dog chains in the U.S., including Two Hands, Oh K Dog, Mochi Nut, Kong Dog, and Song Hot Dog, a whopping 52% increase compared to last year. These chains did not exist in the United States just six years ago, Circana said. The secret to the popularity of Korean-style corn dogs is that, unlike American-style hot dogs, which use only corn dough, they use wheat flour dough and bread crumbs to create a chewy texture.
In the case of Korean ramen, its popularity increased explosively last year after gaining popularity on the video platform TikTok. The market with the steepest growth is the United States, and the growth rate of Korean ramen exports, including the Nongshim brand, exceeded 50% this year.
Sales of kimchi, a representative Korean food, have increased by 80% this year compared to last year, and it has become the best-selling vegetable in the United States, with sales exceeding 10,000.
The influence of the Korean Wave on K-food is also confirmed in a Harvard University study. The Harvard Business School research team analyzed the success process of K-food globalization, focusing on the case of CJ CheilJedang, and disclosed it in an executive education program early this year. This is the first time that Harvard Business School has used a Korean food company as a research case.
The research team cited the fact that Korean popular culture called K-culture spread first and the size of the industry grew later as an unusual case, and analyzed that this is different from previous cases in Korea where specific industries developed under the leadership of the government. The Harvard Business School research team analyzed, “Korea’s K-culture is a cultural phenomenon that crosses borders around the world. Through this, K-food has come into the spotlight internationally, and the size of the Korean food market has expanded to a global level.”
Hongyong Park Reporter>
