Genesis BBQ Group’s Korean fried chicken brand BBQ ranked eighth among emerging dining brands in the United States, highlighting its growing recognition among American consumers.
Genesis BBQ Group said on Sept. 30 that BBQ placed eighth in YouGov’s “U.S. Emerging Dining Brands 2026” ranking. BBQ was the only Korean foodservice brand to make the top 10.
The survey, conducted from July 15 to Aug. 2, evaluated emerging brands across the U.S. foodservice industry, including restaurants, quick-service restaurants (QSRs), fast-casual concepts, bakeries and beverage brands.
YouGov first measured nationwide awareness of 70 emerging dining brands among U.S. consumers. The 34 brands recognized by at least 10% of American adults were then evaluated based on five indicators: Net Buzz, Consideration, Net Recommendation, On the Rise and Innovation.
BBQ ranked eighth among the 34 brands based on its overall Emerging Momentum Score. The brand performed particularly well in the Innovation category, ranking third overall.
The Innovation score measures the share of consumers familiar with a brand who consider it to be bringing new ideas to the U.S. dining market. YouGov highlighted BBQ as a brand with notable innovation and said its innovation perception among aware U.S. consumers was higher than that of some global foodservice brands originating in Southeast Asia.
Industry observers say the results point to the expanding visibility of Korean fried chicken in the U.S. dining market. As American consumers show growing interest in new flavors and international food concepts, Korean chicken brands are seeking to differentiate themselves through distinctive recipes, menus and customer experiences.
BBQ has been expanding its presence in the U.S. through store openings and brand-building activities. The company is also seeking to strengthen its recognition among younger consumers. According to YouGov, BBQ’s awareness among U.S. Gen Z consumers reached 17.5%, compared with 10.5% among U.S. adults overall.
The survey results suggest that BBQ’s challenge going forward will be to convert growing brand awareness into sustained customer engagement and store-level growth in the highly competitive U.S. dining market.
A Genesis BBQ Group official said the company will continue to introduce BBQ’s distinctive flavors and brand experience to American consumers as it seeks to strengthen its position as a global foodservice brand.
