BBQ chief vows to connect global stores through AI transformation

"We will build a global management system, grounded in AI and data, that allows customers anywhere in the world to experience the consistent value and quality of BBQ."

Genesis BBQ Group Chairman Yoon Hong-geun laid out the company's future growth strategy at the group's 31st anniversary ceremony held Tuesday at Chicken University in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. The company said it will move forward in earnest with "AX Transformation," an initiative to overhaul store operations and quality competitiveness at its outlets worldwide using AI and data.

In his commemorative address, Yoon looked back on BBQ's three-decade journey to becoming a global K-food brand and outlined three core strategies: AX Transformation, Globalization 2.0 and Sustainable Platform. He also returned to this year's management theme of "self-strengthening through ceaseless effort," saying goals and strategies must not remain on paper but must be translated into execution and results.

AX Transformation links key areas — from store operations and customer satisfaction to logistics and quality control — through data, raising decision-making efficiency and operational performance. At its core is creating an environment that reduces the operational burden on franchise partners while allowing them to focus more on customer service and product quality. The initiative also aims to deliver BBQ's quality and brand values consistently across all countries and stores as the company expands globally.

Globalization 2.0 goes beyond simply adding overseas locations, focusing instead on building market-optimized success models with local partners in each country. BBQ's signature taste, quality and brand philosophy will remain consistent, while food culture, consumption patterns and retail environments will be adapted to suit each market. The Sustainable Platform strategy aims to build a sustainable global F&B operating model by combining food technology, AI, robotics and eco-friendly practices.

"What matters in our global business is not simply increasing the number of stores, but creating a success model suited to each local market while preserving BBQ's distinctive taste, quality and brand philosophy in every country," Yoon said. "We will use the 31st anniversary as a launching pad for a new leap forward — executing on our goals and proving the results."