The number of domestic chicken franchise outlets has topped 30,000 for the first time.
According to the "2024 franchise statistics results" from the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) on the 28th, chicken specialty franchises totaled 31,397 last year. That is an increase of 1,592, or 5.3%, from the previous year (29,805).
Among chicken brands, BBQ had the most franchise outlets. According to the Fair Trade Commission's franchise information disclosure system, BBQ had 2,316 outlets last year, up 67 from the previous year.
bhc, which had the most outlets last year, was tallied as having 48 fewer than the year before. bhc had 2,228 outlets.
Kyochon Chicken ranked third with 1,361 franchise outlets. It was followed by Cheogajip Yangnyeom Chicken (1,254) and Goobne Chicken (1,154). However, the number of chicken industry brands totaled 647 last year, down 22 from the previous year.
While the number of chicken franchise outlets has steadily increased, the total number of chicken restaurants, including non-franchise shops, has been declining for three straight years. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS), the total number of chicken specialty restaurants nationwide, including franchise outlets and independent shops, was 39,789 in 2023, down by nearly 3,000 from 2020 (42,743).