A 31st Birthday, and a New Partnership 
Genesis BBQ Group's 31st Anniversary Ceremony & Strategic Cooperation Signing with SUMO Xiangpu Group

 

 

On September 1, Genesis BBQ Group marked its 31st anniversary at Chicken University in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. The day had two parts. First came a look ahead at the company's growth strategy for the future, followed by a signing ceremony for a strategic cooperation and brand investment agreement with China's SUMO Xiangpu Group.

 

 

What bb.q Is Building Next

In his anniversary address, Chairman Yoon Hong-geun looked back on Genesis BBQ Group's 31 years of growth into a global K-food brand, then laid out three strategies for taking its global competitiveness to the next level. The first is AX Transformation. The idea is to rebuild management and store operations around AI and data, connecting store operations, customer satisfaction, logistics, and quality control into a single data flow. The goal is to lighten the operational load on franchise owners while building a system that delivers BBQ's quality and brand value consistently in any country and any store. The second is Globalization 2.0. Rather than simply opening more stores overseas, bb.q will work with strong local partners in each country to build a success model tailored to that market. bb.q's taste, quality, and brand philosophy stay the same everywhere, while food culture, consumption habits, distribution, and store operations are adapted to local conditions. The third is Sustainable Platform. Combining food tech, AI and robotics, and eco-friendly technology, bb.q will gradually roll out next-generation store systems including smart stores, automated cooking systems, and environmentally friendly kitchens. Chairman Yoon again emphasized this year's guiding principle, jagangbulsik (自彊不息) "to keep strengthening oneself without pause" and urged that goals and strategies must not stop at planning but be carried through to execution and results. "AI is not a technology meant to replace people," he said. "It helps our employees make faster, more accurate decisions and reduces the operational burden on our franchise owners so they can focus more on customer satisfaction and quality. By bringing together the best people, AI, and systems, we will build a competitive edge that no one can easily follow."

 

Meeting SUMO Xiangpu Group

Under this agreement, Genesis BBQ Group plans to introduce SUMO Xiangpu Group's four brands to the Korean market and later expand into global markets together. SUMO Xiangpu Group has spent eight years building chain operations for restaurant brands in China, managing more than 100,000 stores in total and growing over 15 brands of its own. At the ceremony, bb.q Global CEO Yun Du-Hyeon gave a progress report, followed by Chairman Yoon's congratulatory remarks and an address by SUMO Xiangpu Group CEO Ke Bi-qing. Joining the two companies' leaders on stage to sign were the heads of all four brands: Pang Zheng-xiang of Yaomei Henmang, Sun Shun-chang of Guo Shufen, Fang Hong-na of Sha Xiaolong, and Ou Wei-bin of Chuchat. The signing was followed by a touch-button ceremony, then a champagne toast and cake cutting to mark Genesis BBQ Group's 31st anniversary.