Cupbop

Cupbop is an American fast-casual restaurant brand built around Korean street-food-style barbecue, particularly cup-bap: rice and toppings served in a portable bowl. The business began in 2013 in Salt Lake County, Utah, where founder Junghun Song noticed that Korean food was absent from a local food convention. Song reportedly invested his remaining savings of 15 million Korean won, described in reference material as approximately $13,000 at the time, in a small, two-and-a-half-pyeong food truck. Alongside two friends, he adapted Noryangjin-style Korean food for an American street-food setting and began selling rice bowls from an older truck. The initial concept combined a compact operating model with highly customizable Korean barbecue bowls. Customers could choose proteins such as Korean barbecue chicken, pork, or beef, as well as chicken katsu, fried chicken, tofu, vegetables, or sweet potato noodles. The dishes are generally served with white rice and cabbage and accompanied by sauces. Side items and beverages extend the menu into other Korean staples, including mandoo dumplings, kimchi, Korean-style corn dogs, Milkis, and aloe-vera-flavored Yogo Vera. Cupbop expanded beyond its original truck format during 2015, adding more food trucks and opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant near Brigham Young University. Its visual identity and social-media visibility helped it become well known around the BYU campus. The company also used local events and community marketing to build awareness. It has been credited with helping introduce Korean barbecue to a broader Utah audience and received external recognition including inclusion in Yahoo's list of notable American food trucks and a 2021 vote as Utah's leading food truck. Dok Kwon, a Korean-born hedge-fund investor and an early Cupbop customer, joined the business as a partner in 2020. In May 2022, Song and Kwon appeared on the television investment program Shark Tank. They sought $1 million for a 3 percent ownership stake and reached an agreement with Mark Cuban for $1 million in exchange for 5 percent of the company. By June 2024, the company was reported to have 64 U.S. stores, six food trucks, and additional concession operations, including a location at the Delta Center. It also operated more than 180 locations in Indonesia. Reference material reports 2024 annual revenue of $64 million, although the cited material does not establish whether this figure represents company revenue, systemwide sales, or another measure. Later reference material describes approximately 60 U.S. stores across seven states and about 220 Indonesian stores in 2025. Cupbop subsequently expanded its international development plans through a Dubai agreement with Alfahim Hospitality and a separate Canadian development contract. The brand's current identity combines Korean culinary cues with quick service, portability, franchise-style scalability, and accessible bowl-based meals.

Cupbop originated in Salt Lake County, Utah, in 2013. Junghun Song developed the concept after observing that Korean cuisine was not represented at a Utah food convention. He committed his personal savings to a compact food truck and, with two friends, began serving Noryangjin-style Korean food in a format adapted to American street-food consumption. The central product was cup-bap: rice and Korean barbecue-style toppings assembled in a portable bowl. The early business was notable for its low-footprint format and focused menu. Rather than opening immediately as a conventional restaurant, the founders used a food truck to test demand and build local recognition. The brand's Korean barbecue bowls combined rice, cabbage, protein, and sauces, allowing customers to receive a complete meal quickly. This format also made the concept suitable for events, campuses, and concession settings. During 2015, Cupbop added food trucks and opened its first reported brick-and-mortar restaurant near Brigham Young University. The BYU-area presence became important to the brand's visibility. Cupbop's name, graphic identity, and event activity helped it circulate through social media and local student communities. The company became associated with bringing Korean barbecue to Utah's fast-casual dining scene and was later recognized in food-truck rankings and media selections. Dok Kwon, who had encountered Cupbop as a customer, joined as a partner in 2020. His involvement added an investor and business-development perspective as the company moved from a local food-truck operation toward a larger restaurant system. In 2022, Song and Kwon appeared on Shark Tank. They requested $1 million for 3 percent of Cupbop and accepted Mark Cuban's offer of $1 million for 5 percent. The chain continued developing a mixed operating network of traditional restaurants, food trucks, and concession locations. By June 2024, published reference material counted 64 U.S. restaurants, six food trucks, and several concessions, including the Delta Center. The same material reported more than 180 Indonesian locations, showing that the brand's largest international expansion had taken place in Indonesia. A reported 2024 revenue figure of $64 million is included in the reference material, but its precise accounting basis is not specified. By 2025, the cited material described roughly 60 U.S. restaurants across Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Texas, together with approximately 220 Indonesian locations. Cupbop also entered the Gulf market through a Dubai opening with Alfahim Hospitality and announced plans for nine more Dubai restaurants. A Canadian development agreement was also reported. These moves indicate a strategy centered on geographic expansion through local operating or development partners while retaining the brand's core Korean barbecue bowl proposition. Cupbop's product range remains centered on rice bowls, with proteins including Korean barbecue chicken, pork, and beef, chicken katsu, fried chicken, tofu, vegetables, and sweet potato noodles. Mandoo, kimchi, Korean-style corn dogs, Milkis, and Yogo Vera broaden the menu with recognizable Korean food and beverage references. Overall, the brand has evolved from a Utah food truck into a multi-market fast-casual chain using Korean street-food cues, portable bowl service, social-media-friendly branding, and a combination of company, concession, and partner-led locations.

• 2025

  Dubai market entry

  [1]Cupbopen.wikipedia.org

  Cupbop reportedly opens its first Dubai location through Alfahim Hospitality and plans nine additional locations.

• 2024

  Reported multi-market scale

  [1]Cupbopen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reports 64 U.S. stores, six food trucks, concession locations, and more than 180 Indonesian locations.

• 2022

  Shark Tank investment agreement

  [1]Cupbopen.wikipedia.org

  Cupbop agrees to a $1 million investment from Mark Cuban for a 5 percent stake.

• 2020

  Dok Kwon joins as a partner

  [1]Cupbopen.wikipedia.org

  Investor and former customer Dok Kwon becomes a partner in the company.

• 2015

  Expansion into additional trucks and a permanent restaurant

  [1]Cupbopen.wikipedia.org

  Cupbop adds food trucks and opens a brick-and-mortar location near Brigham Young University.

• 2013

  Cupbop launches as a Utah food truck

  [1]Cupbopen.wikipedia.org

  Junghun Song and two friends begin selling Korean street-food-style rice bowls from a food truck in Salt Lake County.

A fast-casual, bowl-focused Korean barbecue brand that translates Korean street food into a customizable and portable format for mainstream international consumers.

• Main dishes · 2013

  Korean barbecue rice bowls

  Cupbop's core offering consists of steamed white rice and cabbage topped with Korean barbecue-style proteins and sauces. Variants include chicken, pork, and beef, with the bowl format designed for quick service and portability.

• Main dishes

  Chicken katsu and fried chicken bowls

  The menu extends beyond grilled barbecue with Korean-style chicken katsu and fried chicken served in the same rice-and-cabbage bowl format.

• Vegetarian and alternative mains

  Vegetable, tofu, and sweet potato noodle bowls

  Cupbop also offers steamed vegetables, fried tofu, and sweet potato noodles as alternatives to its meat-based barbecue bowls.

• Sides and drinks

  Korean sides and beverages

  Complementary items include mandoo dumplings, kimchi, Korean-style corn dogs, Milkis soft drinks, and Yogo Vera aloe-vera beverages.

• 2022

  Accept Mark Cuban's Shark Tank investmentM&A

  Background

  Cupbop presented its growth story to investors on Shark Tank and sought $1 million for a 3 percent stake.

  Action taken

  The owners agreed to Mark Cuban's $1 million offer for 5 percent of Cupbop.

  Aftermath

  The televised deal provided a high-profile investment and increased public attention around the brand.

  Investment. $1 million for 5 percent equity (2022)

  Source

• 2015

  Add brick-and-mortar locationsStrategy

  Background

  After establishing a local food-truck presence, Cupbop sought more permanent access to customers, including the Brigham Young University community.

  Action taken

  The company added more trucks and opened a restaurant near BYU.

  Aftermath

  The brand gained stronger campus-area visibility and developed a mixed fleet of mobile and permanent locations.

  Source

• 2013

  Launch through a mobile food-service modelStrategy

  Background

  The founders entered the Utah market with a small food truck rather than a conventional restaurant, using a low-cost format to introduce Korean bowl meals.

  Action taken

  Cupbop began selling Korean street-food-style barbecue bowls from a mobile unit in Salt Lake County.

  Aftermath

  The truck model supported local awareness and preceded expansion into additional trucks, permanent restaurants, and concessions.

  Source

1. 1Cupbopen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Korean BBQ food truck Cupbop captures American taste buds with fun flairkoreatimes.co.kr
3. 34 lessons from Founder Friday with Cupbop's Junghun Song and Dok Kwonutahbusiness.com