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Global Foodservice News Franchise Weekly Briefing – December 22, 2025

Weekly Briefing · 2025.12.22

Global Foodservice Franchises
Weekly Briefing

This Week’s Keywords

· United States — Regional hit brands expanding to new markets and testing experience‑focused concepts

· China & Taiwan — Large chains scaling up and reshaping brand portfolios

· Japan & Singapore — New formats and casualization driving longer stays and higher spend per guest

· Hong Kong & Vietnam — Targeted promotions and price redesign amid rising costs

· South Korea — BBQ enters the U.S. NRN ‘TOP 500’ at rank 180, the only Korean brand in the TOP 200

FDAM Franchise ERP – Global Foodservice News Weekly Briefing

This weekly briefing delivers the latest overseas franchise and foodservice industry updates for domestic franchisor headquarters. We’ve compiled key developments from ten countries and regions—including the United States, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Review these trends to inform your overseas expansion strategy and operational decisions.

Summary: FDAM – Franchise‑focused ERP

1. West United States | PopUp Bagels launches its first store in Brentwood, Los Angeles

PopUp Bagels Brentwood, Los Angeles

Image © pixabay

PopUp Bagels, a rapidly expanding bagel chain from New York, opened its first West Coast location in Brentwood, Los Angeles on December 19, 2025, confirming the westward push of regional hit brands. Since the pandemic, the brand has built a strong local following and is accelerating expansion by leveraging flagship products and high‑turnover operations.

Key Takeaways for Korean Franchisor Headquarters

When entering LA, design the format—turnover, traffic flow, and peak‑time productivity—before localizing the menu. Validate demand with a small flagship, then expand to multiple franchise locations using a phased approach.

2. East Coast, USA | December New York new‑open rush, ongoing concept and area experiments

East Coast, USA New York new‑open restaurant

Image © pixabay

New York continues opening new restaurants into mid‑December, with regional culinary‑concept tests ongoing. Since Dec 17, an Indian restaurant in Brooklyn has combined local menu identity with cocktail and service experiences—a growing trend.

Korean franchisor headquarters takeaways

In the New York‑type market, brand story and spatial experience are assumed. Key competitive capabilities are: (1) designing media and review pathways at launch, and (2) standardizing reservation, wait‑time and turnover data to secure replicable operations for the next franchise location.

3. China | Mixue Bingcheng, first U.S. LA store
global ambitions of the world’s largest chain

China Mixue Bingcheng store

Image © pixabay

Mixue, now the world’s largest fast‑food chain, opened its first U.S. store in Hollywood, Los Angeles, accelerating Chinese restaurant brands’ entry into the U.S. As of June 2024, Mixue operates over 53,000 locations worldwide, surpassing McDonald’s and Starbucks.

Beyond Mixue’s low‑price drinks and ice‑cream (≈₩1,200/ „6), Chinese brands such as Nai Shede Cha, Louising Coffee, and Haidilao are also entering the U.S. Market experts say Chinese brands are raising local service standards through high‑efficiency operations and innovative consumer experiences.

Korean franchisor headquarters takeaways

The global rollout of an ultra‑low‑price model hinges on cost and logistics structures that preserve margin per franchise location, rather than simple price competition. For franchisor headquarters expanding overseas, the top priority is to build a system that standardizes and manages the profit structure of each franchise location alongside price‑point design.

4. Japan | Godiva launches its first “Godiva CrĂȘpe” concept store

Japanese dessert café store

Image © pixabay

In Japan, new formats directly operated by brands continue to appear in the dessert‑cafĂ© market. Godiva opened its first crĂȘpe‑focused concept, moving beyond product sales to on‑site cooking and experience‑driven menus that boost dwell time and average ticket.

Korean franchisor headquarters takeaways

In the Japanese market, franchisor headquarters should design not only localized menus but also on‑site performance elements—visible cooking, limited‑edition items, collaborative goods—to build brand fandom. Leverage that data to expand from department‑store or station‑area pop‑ups to permanent franchise locations.

5. Hong Kong | Fast‑food chains defend demand with senior‑citizen discounts and targeted campaigns

Hong Kong fast‑food restaurant

Image © pixabay

Local Hong Kong media reported on December 22 that fast‑food operators are strengthening senior discounts and niche promotions to protect demand. Rather than pushing ticket size amid rent and labor cost pressure, they are securing visit frequency by designing benefits for specific segments—seniors, families, and office‑lunch crowds.

Implications for franchisor headquarters

In an inflationary environment, protect sales with targeted benefits (time‑based offers, membership perks, set‑menu bundles) instead of blanket discounts, and build a system to review promotion performance instantly via POS and app data.

6. Taiwan | Wang Pin (Wang Pin) signals accelerated expansion to 500 stores across Taiwan and China

Taiwanese restaurant brand outlet

Image © pixabay

According to the Taiwan Economic Daily, Wang Pin announced plans to exceed 500 combined stores in Taiwan and China by 2026 as the Chinese market shows recovery after restructuring. The rollout focuses on brand portfolio refinement, price‑point redesign, and profitability‑driven store operations. In China, consumer spending and price tiers are reshaping, intensifying competition above the 200‑yuan segment.

Implications for franchisor headquarters

When entering Taiwan and China, redesign ticket‑size and cost structures to local standards, and manage brand‑portfolio focus on high‑performing categories as a group‑level KPI.

7. Singapore | ‘Casual French’ boom drives a wave of bistros, brunch spots, and wine bars

Singapore bistro outlet

Image © pixabay

Singapore media notes a surge in the ‘casual French’ trend, with bistros, brunch venues, and wine bars opening in quick succession. The concept lowers the barrier to upscale French dining while preserving core experiences—sauces, steaks, and wine pairings—to encourage repeat visits.

Implications for franchisor headquarters

In high‑cost markets like Singapore, consider a ‘high‑low mix’ model: ① simplify core menu items to reduce kitchen complexity, ② supplement margins with alcohol and desserts, and ⑱ separate lunch and dinner peaks to boost table turnover.

8. Philippines | Bistro Group projects strong 2025 results and expansion, betting on a rebound in dining out

Philippines mall dining outlet

Image © pixabay

Philippine business media reported that Bistro Group, buoyed by improved performance, is strengthening its brand‑portfolio management and expressed confidence in growth based on a rebound in dining demand. In the Philippines, dining consumption is driven by mall and mixed‑use districts, so tenant strategy and brand mix determine results.

Key takeaways for franchisor headquarters

When entering the Philippines, prioritize (1) partnerships with mall operators and developers, (2) set and shared menus that reflect family and group demand, and (3) staffing and operational standardization for weekend peaks to minimize early‑stage missteps.

9. Vietnam | Expanding tax and cost issues for F&B small businesses, pressure to redesign pricing and promotions

Vietnam F&B store

Image © pixabay

Vietnamese business media noted in mid‑December that changes in taxes and cost burdens affecting small‑business and F&B operators could translate into pressure to raise prices. When regulatory shifts combine with rising raw‑material and labor costs, a low‑price, discount‑focused model can quickly erode margins.

Key takeaways for franchisor headquarters

In Vietnam, franchisor headquarters should first establish (1) a menu architecture resilient to cost fluctuations, (2) a promotion strategy that shifts from discounts to bundled or set‑up‑selling, and (3) a weekly profit‑and‑loss monitoring system per franchise location to enable stable expansion.

10. Korea | BBQ ranks 180th in NRN’s U.S. TOP 500, the only Korean brand in the TOP 200.

Korean chicken franchise location

Image © pixabay

Genesis BBQ Group placed 180th in NRN’s (Nation’s Restaurant News) 2025 U.S. Restaurant Franchise Brand TOP 500, marking its fourth consecutive year of upward movement. BBQ entered the list at 376th in 2021, then rose to 333rd in 2022, 270th in 2023, 223rd in 2024, and now reached 180th.

This is the only Korean brand to break into the TOP 200 in the United States, the birthplace of the franchise industry. NRN’s TOP 500 ranks brands based on annual sales, number of locations, growth rates and other metrics, and is regarded as the most authoritative benchmark in the sector.

Key takeaways for franchisor headquarters in Korea

This signals that Korean franchise global awareness is building incrementally. When expanding overseas, franchisor headquarters must equip a system that standardizes and compares operational data across each franchise location, enabling growth to translate into profit.

Insight for this week

Across the U.S. and Asia, restaurant franchises are expanding and restructuring.These trends are unfolding simultaneously. In the U.S., regional hit brands are expanding into new markets and testing experiential concepts, while in China and Taiwan, large chains are scaling up and reshuffling portfolios, intensifying competition.

Japan and Singapore are boosting dwell time and average spend through new formats and casualization, and Hong Kong and Vietnam face rising costs, making target‑specific promotions and price‑strategy redesign key challenges. From the perspective of Korean franchisor headquarters,format‑driven expansion, store‑level profit‑and‑loss management, and brand‑portfolio strategyare becoming increasingly critical.

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Terms of Use

Article 1 Purpose

These Terms of Use govern the conditions and operational rules for using the services of "Site Name" (hereinafter referred to as "the Site").

Article 2 Definitions

Key terms used in these terms are defined as follows.

1. Member: An individual who agrees to these terms, provides personal information to register as a member, enters into a usage agreement with the Site, and uses the Site.
2. Usage Agreement: The contract concluded between the Site and a member regarding Site usage.
3. Member ID ("ID"): A unique combination of letters and numbers assigned to each member for identification and service access.
4. Password: The combination of letters and numbers selected by the member to verify identity and protect the member’s rights.
5. Operator: The entity that creates and manages the website offering the service.
6. Termination: The act of a member canceling the usage agreement.

Article 3 Supplemental Rules

The Operator may issue separate operational policies as needed; if these policies overlap with these terms, the operational policies will take precedence.

Article 4 Formation of the Usage Agreement

1. The usage agreement is formed when a person registers as a member, agrees to these terms, and the Operator accepts the registration request.
2. Anyone registering as a member indicates agreement to these terms by reading them during the Site registration process and selecting the "I Agree" option.

Article 5 Service Use Application

1. Individuals registering as members must provide all required information requested by the Site (such as user ID, password, nickname, etc.).
2. Members who use another person’s information, submit false data, or otherwise fail to provide authentic personal information have no rights to use the Site and may be subject to penalties under applicable law.

Section 6: Privacy Policy

The operator does not retain members' passwords provided at sign‑up, and related matters are governed by the site’s privacy policy.
The operator strives to protect members’ personal information, including registration data, in accordance with applicable laws.

Member privacy is handled according to the privacy policy set by applicable law and the site.

However, the operator assumes no responsibility for information exposed due to the member’s own fault.
If a member posts or distributes illegal content—such as material that violates public morals or national security—the operator may, upon request from relevant authorities, review the member’s data and submit it to those authorities.

Section 7: Operator Obligations

(1) When a member’s opinion or complaint is deemed legitimate, the operator must address it as promptly as possible. If personal circumstances prevent immediate action, the operator will make a best effort to follow up with a notice, message, or email after the fact.
(2) To ensure continuous and stable site operation, the operator may require the site to repair or restore equipment without delay when failures or losses occur. In cases of force majeure or unavoidable circumstances affecting the site or operator, site operation may be temporarily suspended.

Section 8: Member Obligations

(1) Members must comply with the terms of this agreement, all site policies, notices, operational guidelines, and applicable laws, and must not engage in actions that interfere with site operations or damage the site’s reputation.
(2) Unless expressly authorized by the site, members may not transfer, gift, or use their service rights or contractual status as collateral to any third party.
(3) Users must exercise great care in managing their ID and password and may not allow third parties to use their ID without the operator’s or site’s consent.
(4) Members must not infringe the intellectual property rights of the operator, the site, or any third party.

Section 9: Service Availability

(1) Service is generally available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, unless technical or operational constraints arise. The site may temporarily suspend service for scheduled maintenance, upgrades, or replacements on dates and times announced by the site. Planned interruptions will be posted on the site’s homepage, so please check regularly.
(2) The site may also suspend service temporarily or permanently without prior notice in the following situations:
- Urgent system inspections, upgrades, replacements, or malfunctions
- Force‑majeure events such as national emergencies, power outages, or natural disasters
- When a telecommunications provider ceases service as stipulated by the Telecommunications Business Act
- If excessive traffic or other issues disrupt normal service use, the service may be unavailable.
⑱ When service interruptions occur as described in the preceding clause, the site will notify members in advance via announcements or similar notices. If the interruption is caused by circumstances beyond the site’s control and advance notice is impossible, the site will provide notice after the fact.

Article 10 – Termination of Service Use

① A member who wishes to terminate the usage agreement with the site must submit a cancellation request online personally. Separately, termination of the site usage agreement itself must be handled independently of the site access termination.
② Upon submission of the cancellation request, any site‑related programs provided by the site are automatically removed from the member‑management interface, and the operator can no longer view the applicant’s information.

Article 11 – Restriction of Service Use

Members may not engage in any of the following actions. If a member does, the site may restrict the member’s service access, take appropriate legal measures, terminate the usage agreement, or suspend service for a specified period.
① Registering false information during sign‑up or when updating member details.
② Interfering with another person’s use of the site or misappropriating their information.
⑱ Impersonating site administrators, staff, or affiliates.
④ Infringing on the personal rights or intellectual property of the site or any third party, or disrupting business operations.
â‘€ Illegitimately using another member’s ID.
â‘„ Collecting, storing, or disclosing another member’s personal data without their consent.
⑩ Engaging in conduct that can be objectively judged as criminal.
⑧ Any other actions that violate applicable laws and regulations.

Article 12 – Management of Posted Content

① The operator is responsible for managing and operating all posts and materials on the site. The operator must continuously monitor for inappropriate content, and upon discovering or receiving a report of such content, must delete it and issue a warning to the member who posted it.
Members are responsible for the content they post; therefore, members must not publish material that violates these terms of use.
② If a public authority such as the Information and Communication Ethics Committee issues a corrective request, the operator may delete or relocate posts without the member’s prior consent.
⑱ The criteria for determining inappropriate content are as follows.
- When the content severely insults or defames another member or a third party.
- When distributing or linking to content that violates public order or good morals.
- When the content encourages illegal copying or hacking.
- When it is advertising intended for profit.
- When the content is objectively recognized as being linked to criminal activity.
- When it infringes copyright or other rights of other users or third parties.
- When it is deemed to violate other applicable laws.
- If the site or its operator receives a request from a third party to halt a post because of alleged defamation, intellectual‑property infringement, or similar rights violations, the post may be temporarily taken down (transmission stopped). The site will follow any lawsuit, settlement, or other decision by the relevant authority that is submitted concerning the requester and the poster.

Article 13 Retention of Posts

If the site operator must discontinue the site due to unavoidable circumstances, they will give members prior notice and make reasonable efforts to facilitate the transfer of posts.

Article 14 Copyright in Posts

① The copyright of a post submitted by a member on the site belongs to that member. The site may not commercially use the post without the poster’s consent, except for non‑profit purposes, and the site retains the right to display the content within the service.
② Members may not commercially use materials posted on the service, such as by arbitrarily processing or selling information obtained through the service.
⑱ The operator may delete, relocate, or reject registration of any content posted or uploaded by a member that is judged to fall under any of the items listed in Article 12, without prior notice.

Article 15 Liability for Damages

① All civil and criminal liability arising from the site is primarily the responsibility of the member.
② The site will not compensate for damages that result from force majeure events such as natural disasters, or from the member’s intentional or negligent actions.

Article 16 Disclaimer

① The operator is exempt from liability for any loss of expected benefit, or for damages arising from the selection or use of service materials provided by the site.
② The operator is exempt from liability for interruptions caused by the site’s service infrastructure or by telecommunications services provided by other carriers, and any damages related to the site’s service infrastructure are governed by the site’s terms of use.
The operator assumes no responsibility for any material that members store, post, or transmit.
If service disruptions occur due to a member’s fault, the operator is not liable.
The operator is not responsible for any activities—such as data transmission or other community interactions—between members or between members and third parties, whether inside or outside the service.
The operator does not guarantee the authenticity, reliability, or accuracy of material posted or transmitted by members, nor any content that members can obtain from this site.
If members trade goods or conduct other transactions through the service, the operator is not liable for any resulting damages.
The operator bears no responsibility for any disputes that arise between members or between members and third parties, unless the operator is at fault.
The operator is not liable for member losses caused by system failures during equipment maintenance, inspections, repairs, or replacements, or software operation, unless caused by intentional wrongdoing or gross negligence; nor for failures due to third‑party attacks, undiscovered viruses, or other force‑majeure events beyond the operator’s control.

Supplementary Provisions

These terms <Effective from the site launch date>.

Privacy Policy

MS Venter (hereinafter referred to as “the Company”) establishes and publishes these privacy processing guidelines to protect data subjects’ personal information under Article 30 of the Personal Information Protection Act and to address related concerns promptly and smoothly.

Article 1 (Purpose of Personal Information Processing)
The Company processes personal information for the purposes listed below. Collected data will not be used for any other purpose, and if the purpose changes, the Company will obtain separate consent in accordance with Article 18 of the Personal Information Protection Act and take any other required actions.

1. Website membership registration and management
Personal information is processed to confirm membership intent, verify identity for member‑only services, maintain and manage membership status, conduct limited identity verification, prevent fraudulent use, verify parental consent for children under 14, provide notices, handle inquiries, and address complaints.

2. Provision of goods or services
Personal information is processed for product delivery, service provision, sending contracts and invoices, delivering content, offering personalized services, identity and age verification, payment processing and settlement, and debt collection.

3. Complaint handling
Personal information is processed to verify the complainant’s identity, confirm the nature of the complaint, contact for fact‑finding, and notify the outcome of the handling process.

Article 2 (Processing and Retention Period of Personal Data)
The Company processes and retains personal data only for the period required by law or the period consented to by the data subject at the time of collection.
The specific processing and retention periods are as follows:

1. Website membership registration and management: until the member withdraws from the website.
However, if any of the following circumstances apply, data will be retained until the circumstance ends:
1) Ongoing investigations or inquiries related to violations of applicable laws: until the investigation or inquiry concludes.
2) Outstanding creditor‑debtor relationships arising from website use: until those relationships are fully settled.

Article 5 (Rights of Users and Their Legal Representatives and How to Exercise Them)

Data subjects may exercise any of the following privacy rights with the Company at any time.
1. Request to access personal data
2. Request correction of errors or inaccuracies
3. Request deletion
4. Request suspension of processing
These rights can be exercised by submitting a written request, calling, emailing, or faxing the Company, and the Company will act without undue delay.
If a data subject requests correction or deletion of personal data, the Company will refrain from using or disclosing that data until the correction or deletion is completed.
The rights in paragraph 1 may also be exercised through a legal representative or an authorized agent, provided a power of attorney in the format specified in Appendix 11 of the Enforcement Rules of the Personal Data Protection Act is submitted.
Data subjects must not violate applicable laws, including the Personal Data Protection Act, by infringing on the personal data or privacy of themselves or others that the Company processes.

Article 6 (Categories of Personal Data Processed)
The Company processes the following categories of personal data:

1. Website membership registration and management
Required items: company name, full name, title, phone number, email
Optional items: referral source, awareness channel

2. Provision of goods or services
Required items: company name, full name, title, phone number, email
Optional items: referral source, awareness channel

3. During the use of internet services, the following personal data items may be automatically generated and collected.
IP address, cookies, MAC address, service usage records, visit logs, error usage records, etc.

Article 7 (Destruction of Personal Data)
① The company shall promptly destroy personal data that is no longer needed due to the expiration of the retention period or achievement of the processing purpose.
② If, after the consented retention period has expired or the processing purpose has been achieved, the personal data must be retained under other laws, the company shall preserve it by transferring it to a separate database or storing it in a different location.
⑱ The procedures and methods for destroying personal data are as follows.
1. Destruction Procedure
The company selects the personal data subject to destruction and, with approval from the company’s personal data protection officer, destroys the data.
2. Destruction Methods
The company destroys electronically stored personal data using methods such as low‑level formatting to make records unrecoverable, and destroys paper records by shredding or incineration.

Article 8 (Measures to Ensure the Security of Personal Data)
The company implements the following measures to ensure the security of personal data.
1. Administrative measures: establishment and implementation of internal management plans, regular employee training, etc.
2. Technical measures: management of access rights to personal data processing systems, installation of access control systems, encryption of unique identifiers, etc., and installation of security programs.
and other encryption, security program installations.
3. Physical measures: access control for computer rooms, data storage rooms, etc.

Article 9 (Installation, operation, and refusal of automatic personal data collection devices)
(1) The company uses cookies to store user information and retrieve it as needed in order to provide personalized services.
(2) A cookie is a small piece of data sent by the server (http) that runs the website to the user's browser, and it may also be stored on the user's hard drive.
a. Purpose of using cookies: to analyze each service and website visited by the user, usage patterns, popular search terms, secure connection status, etc., and to deliver optimized information to the user.
b. Installing, operating, and refusing cookies: Tools menu at the top of the web browser>Internet Options>You can refuse cookie storage by adjusting the options in the privacy menu.
c. Refusing cookie storage may make it difficult to use personalized services.

Article 10 (Personal Data Protection Officer)
(1) The company designates a Personal Data Protection Officer who oversees all personal data processing activities and handles data subject complaints and remediation as follows.

▶ Personal Data Protection Officer
Name: O Manseok
Title: Representative
Contact: 1544-7120
※ This connects to the personal data protection department.

▶ Personal Data Protection Department
Department: Development Team
Contact Person: Lee Seongjae
Contact: adffewr@benter.co.kr

Data subjects may direct any privacy‑related inquiries, complaints, or requests for redress arising from use of the company’s services to the privacy officer or the responsible department. The company will respond and address such inquiries without delay.

Article 11 (Request for Access to Personal Data)
Data subjects may submit a request to access their personal data under Article 35 of the Personal Information Protection Act to the department below. The company will strive to process access requests promptly.

▶ Department for Receiving and Processing Access Requests
Department: Operations Team
Contact: O Chae‑hyun
Email: boram03@benter.co.kr

Article 12 (Remedies for Rights Violations)
Data subjects may contact the following agencies for redress or counseling regarding personal data breaches.

▶ Personal Data Breach Reporting Center (operated by Korea Internet & Security Agency)
- Scope: Reporting personal data breach incidents, requesting counseling
- Website: privacy.kisa.or.kr
- Phone: 118 (no area code needed)
- Address: 3rd Floor, Personal Data Breach Reporting Center, 9 Jinheung‑gil, Naju‑si, Jeollanam‑do 58324 (Bitgaram‑dong 301‑2)

▶ Personal Data Dispute Mediation Committee
- Scope: Filing personal data dispute mediation requests, collective dispute mediation (civil resolution)
- Website: www.kopico.go.kr
- Phone: 1833‑6972 (no area code needed)
- Address: 4th Floor, Government Complex Seoul, 209 Sejong‑daero, Jongno‑gu, Seoul 03171

▶ Supreme Prosecutors' Office Cyber Crime Investigation Unit: 02‑3480‑3573 (www.spo.go.kr)
▶ Cyber Safety Division, National Police Agency: 182 (http://cyberbureau.police.go.kr)

Article 13 (Implementation and Amendment of the Privacy Policy)
This privacy policy takes effect on January 31, 2024.