Global Franchise Weekly Briefing: December 1, 2025
A weekly briefing on global restaurant franchising and takeaways for Korean headquarters
global franchising, international restaurant news, US franchising, China franchising, Japan restaurant market, Southeast Asia restaurant market, franchise ERP, FDAM, overseas expansion, restaurant trends
Weekly Briefing · 2025.12.01
Global Restaurant Franchising
Weekly Briefing
This week's keywords · US West and East Coasts — Experiential flagships and multi-concept venues keep opening · US nationwide — Rising rent and labor costs drive a wave of New York closures in November · China and Japan — A noodle franchise pursues an IPO; Yoshinoya merges six subsidiaries · Taiwan — Buffet and shabu-shabu chains raise prices together in December · Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines — Concept stores, tourism-plus-F&B packages and ESG community marketing spread |
This is a weekly briefing on international franchising and the restaurant industry for Korean franchisor headquarters. We've rounded up the latest news from nine countries and regions, including the US, China, Japan and Southeast Asia. Take a look at the trends worth considering for your HQ's overseas expansion strategy and operating decisions.
Compiled by: FDAM, the franchise-specialized ERP
1. US West | La Monique opens French Riviera-inspired restaurant in Santa Monica
A new restaurant, La Monique, has opened inside the Oceana hotel in Santa Monica, LA. It features French Riviera-themed interiors and a French menu led by a Michelin-caliber chef. It emphasizes experiential dining with velvet sofas, mirrored ceilings and an art collection, and strengthens local sourcing through collaborations with local artisan bakeries and cheese shops.
Though it's a single location, it is a good example of how upscale hotels and restaurants are growing revenue models tied to stay-focused tourism.
Takeaway for Korean HQs Korean franchises entering the US West Coast should consider a hotel shop-in-shop format or an "experiential flagship" strategy. A phased approach that first elevates the brand experience at a single location before expanding gradually works better than rapid multi-unit growth. |
2. US East | Brooklyn Lebanese restaurant expands to the LES amid a November wave of New York openings
In New York, a string of new restaurants, bars and markets with a range of concepts, including Lebanese, Mexican, Korean and pasta, opened throughout November. Brooklyn Lebanese restaurant Semkeh is expanding to the Lower East Side, targeting Millennials and Gen Z with localized dishes such as shawarma burritos and falafel burgers.
At Bryant Park, Hue House, a four-story Asian food and culture complex, opened its doors, showcasing a space-based business model that combines food and beverage, wellness and events. It is a sign that openings and concept experiments remain active in New York's restaurant market.
Takeaway for Korean HQs For Korean franchises entering the US East Coast, a "multi-concept + cultural experience" format could be a key competitive edge. Designing spaces that are content in themselves, beyond simply selling menu items, is becoming increasingly important. |
3. US nationwide | Long-running New York restaurants close en masse in November; dim sum franchise pulls out
Restaurant, café and bar closures continued across New York throughout November. Not only independent spots such as beloved neighborhood brunch places, vegan restaurants and matcha cafés, but also multi-location chains such as dim sum franchise Awesome DimSum gradually pulled out, citing cost pressures, rent and shifting demand.
With rents climbing again after the pandemic, combined with labor and food cost pressures, stores with weakened profitability appear to be entering a wind-down phase.
Takeaway for Korean HQs For Korean franchises preparing to enter the US market, this is a reminder of how much store-level profitability and financial safeguards (cash flow, contract structure) matter compared with expansion speed. |
4. China | Noodle franchise Yujian Xiaomian pursues Hong Kong IPO
Chongqing-based noodle chain Yujian Xiaomian (遇见小面) has filed for a preliminary listing review on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Launched in 2014, the brand now operates hundreds of stores and grew by targeting younger consumers with standardized recipes, supply chains and brand design.
Its listing prospectus details plans to expand online delivery channels, a store-opening strategy focused on new towns, and a high-margin structure built on toppings and side dishes. It reflects a trend of local Chinese noodle franchises tapping capital markets for aggressive expansion.
Takeaway for Korean HQs This is a case worth benchmarking for Korean snack food and noodle brands considering entering China or setting up a local subsidiary. It's also worth noting that standardized operating manuals and supply chain design are prerequisites for entering the capital markets. |
5. Japan | Yoshinoya HD merges six regional subsidiaries, reorganizing around gyudon, udon and ramen
Japan's Yoshinoya Holdings announced that it will absorb six subsidiaries that operated gyudon chains across the country's regions, consolidating them into a single entity, Yoshinoya. The strategy is to unify the chain of command and manage assets such as lease agreements at the group level, enabling faster store conversions and testing of new concepts.
Built around three core categories, gyudon, udon and ramen, the company set targets in its five-year medium-term plan of JPY 300 billion in sales and JPY 15 billion in operating profit. It is seen as a leading example of large Japanese restaurant companies reshaping their brand portfolios and corporate structures to build post-pandemic growth engines.
Takeaway for Korean HQs This is also a useful reference for how Korean franchisor headquarters restructure their corporate entities and organizations. Unifying assets and decision-making structures to match the company's growth stage is a key variable in how fast new concepts can be rolled out. |
6. Taiwan | "Taiwan's Haidilao" shabu-shabu chain raises prices as labor and rent costs climb
In Taiwan, buffet restaurants owned by major restaurant groups, including a shabu-shabu and buffet chain dubbed "Taiwan's Haidilao," have announced across-the-board price increases starting in December. The main reason is that labor, rent and ingredient costs are rising at the same time, making it hard to stay profitable at current prices.
Some locations are raising weekday lunch prices by around TWD 20–40, while using membership perks and promotions to minimize customer churn. It's also worth noting that the limits of the low-cost all-you-can-eat buffet model are becoming apparent.
Takeaway for Korean HQs This is useful data for Korean franchisor headquarters designing pricing and promotion strategies. When raising prices, careful design that minimizes churn through memberships and set menus is becoming more important. |
7. Singapore | Suntory opens Barrel, its first Hibiki concept restaurant, downtown
Suntory, well known for its Japanese whisky brand Hibiki, will open Barrel, its first Hibiki concept restaurant, on Cecil Street in Singapore's CBD on December 6. The site, formerly home to American grill restaurant Rosemead and rum bar Sugarhall, has been renovated into a multi-use venue with an 83-seat dining hall, two private rooms, a wood-fire grill counter and Vault, a basement whisky salon set in a former bank vault.
Chef Shotaro Naganuma, who made Tora Sho Ramen a success in Singapore, will run the venue, serving highball and whisky pairing dishes such as Hibiki-infused chicken rice and soft-serve ice cream. It reads as a strategy for a heritage spirits brand to maximize brand experience through a company-owned concept restaurant while strengthening both high-end dining and liquor sales.
Takeaway for Korean HQs This is a useful case for Korean liquor and restaurant franchises planning global concept stores. The key is how to design a structure in which a company-owned flagship built on core IP drives sales across other channels as well. |
8. Vietnam | Saigontourist Group promotes Vietnamese tourism and food culture in China
Saigontourist, Vietnam's state-owned tourism, hotel and restaurant group, showcased its portfolio of Vietnamese hotels, resorts and restaurants at a tourism conference in China. The group operates more than 100 hotels, resorts, restaurants and travel agencies, and at the event it presented packages of fine-dining restaurants and culinary experiences in major cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Phu Quoc.
The strategy strengthens integrated "tourism + F&B" products aimed at middle-class Chinese and group travelers, showing that Vietnam's restaurant market is rapidly expanding beyond domestic demand into tourism-linked dining and hospitality businesses.
Takeaway for Korean HQs Korean restaurant and café franchises entering Vietnam should consider partnership models with travel agencies and hotels. Tying into tourism flows may be more effective for building early brand awareness than operating stores on their own. |
9. Philippines | McDonald's "Tour de McDo": a cycling event and cyclist-only menu
To mark National Bike Day on November 23, McDonald's Philippines held "Tour de McDo," a riding event in Antipolo, Rizal, highlighting eco-friendly, active lifestyles. Planned as part of the company's ESG program "Green & Good," the campaign tours popular cycling routes in Metro Manila and major areas such as Laguna, Pampanga and Iloilo, with a focus on connecting the cycling community with the brand.
Participants are offered a set meal of Golden Curry Chicken, egg, rice and orange juice at an app-exclusive price (about 41% off), hinting at a strategy to build a consumer routine of "recovery meals at McDo after a ride." In the Philippine restaurant and franchise market, McDonald's is strengthening its positioning as a brand that connects health, sustainability and community, going beyond simple fast food.
Takeaway for Korean HQs This is a useful case for Korean HQs planning O2O promotions tied to sports and hobby communities. Designing it as "year-round community engagement" rather than a one-off campaign helps shape a consistent brand image naturally. |
This week's insight
Across the global restaurant market, on one side experiential flagships, concept restaurants and brand expansion that combines tourism, community and ESGare thriving, while on the other, restructuring and price increases driven by rent, labor and cost pressuresare happening at the same time.
From the perspective of Korean franchisor headquarters, this week's trends boil down to four points.
Four directions for Korean HQs to review ① Rather than expanding store count, secure store-level profitability and financial safeguards ② Through partnerships with hotels, travel agencies and local communities, design "tourism + F&B + brand experience" packages ③ Restructure capital and organization with a mid- to long-term roadmap matched to your growth stage ④ When raising prices, use a careful pricing strategy that minimizes churn through memberships and promotions |
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