Gen Korean BBQ
Corporate brand
UnclaimedGen Korean BBQ is an American all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue restaurant chain founded in Southern California and concentrated primarily in the Western United States.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Gen Korean BBQ is an American restaurant brand specializing in all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue. The chain was established in Los Angeles in 2011 by Korean immigrants David Kim and Jae Chang, and its first restaurant opened in Tustin, California. The concept combines table-side grilling with a broad menu of marinated meats, seafood, Korean side dishes, soups and rice-based accompaniments. Its service model is designed around a fixed-price, high-variety dining experience in which guests cook selected items at built-in grills at their tables. The brand initially expanded through Southern California, where it developed a particularly visible presence in the Greater Los Angeles area and became popular with student and group diners, including customers near the University of California, Irvine. In 2015, Gen extended its presence to Northern California with a San Jose restaurant and moved outside California with a location in Henderson, Nevada. It entered Hawaii and Texas in 2016, opening at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu and in Carrollton, respectively. The following year brought further geographic expansion, including restaurants in Arizona and the Philippines. The SM Mall of Asia restaurant became the chain's first international location. Gen has experimented with extensions to its restaurant format and operating model. In 2016, it introduced Gen Delivers, an online service offering ingredients associated with Korean barbecue for home delivery. In 2017, a Montclair, California location used robots to assist with food service, although that restaurant closed in 2019. The chain also adjusted its business model during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than closing all of its restaurants, it converted them into discounted meat markets, allowing it to sell food products directly while conventional dine-in operations were disrupted. The menu generally contains approximately 28 to 36 items, although offerings can vary by restaurant. Typical selections include bulgogi, galbi, American Angus beef, Wagyu beef, gopchang, samgyeopsal, yangnyeom chicken, jokbal, shrimp and octopus. Accompaniments and prepared dishes have included kimchi, japchae, sundubu-jjigae, saengchae, potato salad and daikon radish paper. This combination of premium and familiar proteins, shared-table cooking and a fixed-price format positions Gen between casual dining, experiential dining and Korean barbecue specialty restaurants. Expansion continued beyond the western core. Gen opened its first East Coast restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2022, followed by a New York City location in January 2023. The company became publicly traded on Nasdaq under the ticker GENK on June 26, 2023, raising $43.2 million in its initial public offering. The chain was reported to have 43 restaurants and 12 additional locations planned as of 2024. Its network remained heavily concentrated in California, with additional operations in Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, Texas, Florida, New York and the Philippines, alongside announced or planned expansion into other U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
History
Gen Korean BBQ was founded in Los Angeles in 2011 by David Kim and Jae Chang, two Korean immigrants. Kim had previously served as chief executive of Baja Fresh and La Salsa. The first Gen restaurant opened in Tustin, California, establishing the format that would define the brand: an all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue meal in which diners grill meat and other ingredients at their tables. The company first developed a Southern California network before expanding into additional regions. In 2015, it opened in San Jose, marking its move into Northern California, and launched its first restaurant outside California in Henderson, Nevada. In 2016, the brand entered Hawaii through a restaurant at Ala Moana Center and opened its first Texas location in Carrollton. That year it also introduced Gen Delivers, an online service selling Korean barbecue ingredients for home preparation. Expansion accelerated in 2017. Gen opened a restaurant in Montclair, California, that used robots to help serve food. The experiment was discontinued when the location closed two years later. The company also entered the Philippines in 2017 with a restaurant at the SM Mall of Asia, its first international site. Its first Arizona restaurant opened that year at Tempe Marketplace in the Phoenix area. A former Rowland Heights location, which had opened in 2015, later closed in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic required a significant operating adjustment. Instead of shutting all of its restaurants, Gen converted them into discounted meat markets. This allowed the business to continue selling food while dine-in restaurant activity was restricted or reduced. The chain subsequently resumed its expansion program and received a Silver award in the Best Yakiniku/Korean BBQ category at the 2021 Hale Aina Awards. Gen entered the Eastern United States in 2022 with a Fort Lauderdale, Florida restaurant. In January 2023 it opened a location in New York City at 14th Street and Third Avenue. The company became publicly traded on Nasdaq on June 26, 2023, using the ticker GENK, and raised $43.2 million through its initial public offering. By 2024, the chain was reported to operate 43 restaurants, with 12 more locations planned. Its established network remained centered on California and the broader Western United States, while additional development plans included markets in Florida, Washington, Texas, Oregon, Georgia, Virginia, Utah and the District of Columbia.
- 2024
Reported network reaches 43 restaurants
[1]Gen was reported to have 43 operating restaurants and 12 additional locations planned.
- 2023
Nasdaq listing and New York City opening
[1]The brand opened a New York City restaurant and its corporate group began trading on Nasdaq as GENK.
- 2022
First East Coast location opens
[1]Gen opened its first restaurant in the Eastern United States in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
- 2020
Restaurants converted into discount meat markets
[1]During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gen adapted restaurants into discounted meat markets rather than closing the entire chain.
- 2017
International and Arizona expansion
[1]Gen opened at SM Mall of Asia in the Philippines and at Tempe Marketplace in Arizona, while also testing robot-assisted service in Montclair.
- 2016
Entry into Hawaii and Texas; Gen Delivers launches
[1]The chain opened in Honolulu and Carrollton and introduced an online Korean barbecue ingredient delivery service.
- 2015
Expansion into Northern California and Nevada
[1]Gen opened its first San Jose restaurant and its first location outside California in Henderson, Nevada.
- 2011
First Gen Korean BBQ restaurant opens
[1]David Kim and Jae Chang founded the brand, and its first restaurant opened in Tustin, California.
Products and positioning
A casual, group-oriented Korean barbecue experience built around all-you-can-eat variety, table-side cooking and a broad selection of meats, seafood and Korean accompaniments.
Restaurant dining format · 2011
All-you-can-eat Korean barbecue
Gen's core offering is a fixed-price, all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue experience. Diners select from a rotating or location-specific menu of meats, seafood and prepared dishes and cook many items at grills integrated into the dining tables.
Menu line · 2011
Korean barbecue meats
The menu has included bulgogi, galbi, American Angus beef, Wagyu beef, gopchang, samgyeopsal, yangnyeom chicken and jokbal. These selections combine marinated Korean barbecue staples with beef and pork options intended for table-side grilling.
Menu line · 2011
Seafood selections
Seafood offerings have included shrimp and octopus, giving the all-you-can-eat format alternatives to its beef, pork and poultry selections.
Menu line · 2011
Korean side dishes and prepared foods
Supporting dishes have included kimchi, japchae, sundubu-jjigae, saengchae, potato salad and daikon radish paper. These items complement grilled food and broaden the meal beyond table-cooked proteins.
Food delivery service · 2016
Gen Delivers
Introduced in 2016, Gen Delivers sold ingredients associated with Korean barbecue online, extending the brand from restaurant dining into at-home preparation.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Hale Aina Awards recognition
Hawaii
Gen received a Silver award in the Best Yakiniku/Korean BBQ category at the Hale Aina Awards.
Outcome. The recognition provided an external acknowledgment of the brand's Korean barbecue offering in Hawaii.
- 2020Discount meat market conversion
United States
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gen converted restaurants into discount meat markets to continue selling food while normal dine-in service was disrupted.
Outcome. The adaptation allowed the chain to remain in operation during the pandemic period and supported its subsequent return to restaurant expansion.
Brand decisions
2023
Initial public offeringOtherBackground
After expanding its restaurant network across multiple U.S. regions and into the Philippines, the corporate group pursued a public listing.
Action taken
The group listed on Nasdaq under GENK on June 26, 2023.
Aftermath
The IPO raised $43.2 million and made the corporate group publicly traded.
IPO proceeds. $43.2 million raised (June 26, 2023 IPO)
2020
Pandemic-era conversion to meat marketsStrategyBackground
COVID-19 restrictions disrupted conventional restaurant dining and threatened the chain's normal operating model.
Action taken
Gen converted its restaurants into discounted meat markets instead of closing them all.
Aftermath
The company continued operating through an alternative retail model and later resumed geographic expansion.
2017
Robot-assisted restaurant service experimentOtherBackground
Gen tested technology-assisted restaurant operations at a new Montclair, California location.
Action taken
The restaurant used robots to serve food.
Aftermath
The Montclair location closed two years later.
2016
Launch of Gen DeliversStrategyBackground
The restaurant chain sought to extend its Korean barbecue proposition beyond physical dining rooms.
Action taken
Gen introduced an online service selling ingredients for Korean barbecue delivery.
Aftermath
The service represented an expansion into at-home food preparation, although later operating status is not established in the available material.
Recent events
Sources2 sources
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