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October 20, 2025 International Franchise Weekly Briefing

Weekly Briefing · 2025.10.20

Global Food Service Franchise
Weekly Briefing

This Week's Highlights

· United States – Firehouse Subs surpasses 1,400 locations, showcasing the power of brand identity

· China & Japan – Haidilao expands into rotating sushi, and a large-scale Shinjuku gyukatsu outlet opens

· Hong Kong & Taiwan – Hong Kong Food Carnival and Taipei U-Yuk-Mien festival drive festival‑style consumption

· India & UK – QuirkyPuffs partners with Papacream for nationwide expansion, and a UK sandwich shop launches in Dubai

· France & Singapore – Michelin transparency debate and Singapore’s restaurant water‑pricing issue highlight reputation management

FDAM Franchise ERP – Global Food Service News Weekly Briefing

Over the past week, franchise growth trends moved in tandem across North America, Asia, and Europe. In the U.S., Firehouse Subs crossed the 1,400‑store milestone; in China, Haidilao entered the rotating‑sushi segment; in Japan, a large Shinjuku gyukatsu outlet opened. Hong Kong’s Food Carnival and Taiwan’s U‑Yuk‑Mien festival spurred consumption, while India and the UK accelerated overseas expansion. France faced a Michelin transparency debate, and Singapore dealt with a restaurant water‑pricing controversy.Price and Reputation Communicationwere highlighted as critical this week.

Summary:FDAM, the franchise‑focused ERP

1. United States | Firehouse Subs, 1,400+ global locations

Firehouse Subs surpassed 1,400 stores on October 16. The aggressive North American expansion and overseas pipeline were confirmed, driven by value‑menu offerings and community‑centric campaigns.

Key Takeaways for the Korean Headquarters

When expanding into North America, the Korean headquarters should study the growth of sandwich and hot‑sandwich formats and the impact of identity branding, such as the ‘firefighter concept.’ Competing only on menu categories is insufficient; embedding brand identity consistently across store experience and campaigns is the decisive factor for long‑term growth.

2. China | Haidilao’s entry into the ‘rotating sushi’ business

Haidilao, known for its expansion strategy, signaled a move into the sushi category on October 16. By leveraging lower‑cost rotating sushi during off‑peak hours, diversifying cost structures, and operating multiple formats simultaneously, the chain optimizes average check size. As large‑scale restaurant groups roll out multi‑format strategies, local partnerships and supply‑chain competition are expected to intensify.

Key takeaway for the Korean headquarters

The Korean headquarters should consider a multi‑format strategy to reduce reliance on a single brand. However, as formats increase, the ERP must allow brand‑level profit and supply‑chain data to be compared and managed on a common basis; otherwise, multi‑format becomes a decision burden rather than a growth asset.

3. Japan | New flagship ‘gyukatsu’ restaurant opens in Shinjuku

A gyukatsu‑specialized brand opened a large store in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, on October 15. The combination of a high‑turnover single menu, efficient cooking line, and a location that captures post‑reopening tourist demand demonstrates a successful strategy. The recovery trend for single‑product franchises continues across Japan.

Key takeaway for the Korean headquarters

When entering Japan, focusing on a single or two core menu items and targeting late‑night demand is a proven reference. Concentrating operations on a narrow menu, rather than a broad lineup, drives higher turnover in Japanese tourist districts.

4. Hong Kong | 12th Hong Kong Food Carnival opens October 25

Hong Kong’s largest outdoor F&B fair, the Hong Kong Food Carnival, runs from October 25 to November 2 at the Kowai Chung Sports Ground. This year features six themed zones—health, snack, kitchenware, 7‑star dining, and more—plus over 320 booths. Daily limited HK$1.0–1.1 price specials and opening/closing promotions are offered.

Key takeaway for the Korean headquarters

From a headquarters perspective, the event offers a chance to collect B2B leads and test new products through pop‑ups, tasting events, and bundled sales. The critical factor is integrating the leads and response data gathered at the event into the headquarters system for follow‑up sales.

5. Taiwan | Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival 10/10–10/13 a hit

According to the closing report on October 13, the festival attracted over 100,000 visitors across three days. A festival‑style F&B event that combined local and international chefs, limited menus, and on‑site sales proved to be a powerful consumer driver.

Key takeaway for the Korean headquarters

The Taiwanese market responds well to limited‑menu pop‑ups tied to local festivals. Co‑marketing with a master franchise partner to design seasonal campaigns can simultaneously boost brand awareness and generate franchise leads with a single event.

6. India | Cure Foods × Papacream nationwide franchise partnership

Multi‑brand cloud kitchen and QSR operator Cure Foods announced a nationwide franchise expansion with Papacream. After opening in Mumbai and Pune, the partnership will roll out across the country, accelerating the franchising of desserts and ice‑cream in India.

Key takeaway for the Korean headquarters

When a Korean dessert format expands into India, a 'master franchisee + regional multi‑store owner' structure is realistic. Long‑term collaboration requires an ERP that lets the headquarters standardize and manage the master partner’s operational data.

7. Vietnam | Rising culinary prestige
 expanding hotel and fine‑dining partnerships

The emergence of leading restaurants such as Quince, Ănăn Saigon, and Gia Hanoi, coupled with the culinary rivalry of global hotel chains, is amplifying the synergy of 'local cuisine + tourism'.

Key takeaways for the Korean headquarters

From the headquarters’ perspective, a strategy focused on local chef collaboration, limited menus, and tourism‑centric districts is effective. A joint Korean‑Vietnam pop‑up can boost brand awareness, and a phased, deep partnership with local chef networks aligns well with our long‑term goals.

8. United Kingdom | 'Sandwich Sandwich' launches overseas (Dubai) and accelerates franchise conversion

The thick‑sandwich concept 'Sandwich Sandwich', which gained cult status in Bristol and London, has entered global expansion as a franchise model. From SNS virality to flagship stores to franchising, it exemplifies the standard path. The UK market is fiercely competitive for overseas master discovery across dessert, sandwich, and chicken categories.

Key takeaways for the Korean headquarters

For the headquarters, the UK market signals a viable route to identify master franchisees and joint‑venture partners. Rather than competing directly with UK brands, a staged entry through a UK or Dubai master partner offers a more stable approach.

9. France | Former Michelin Guide director reveals evaluation criteria via YouTube interview

On YouTube channel 'LEGEND', former Michelin Guide International Director Michael Ellis disclosed how judges are selected, the evaluation criteria, and the anonymity controversy—rarely seen inside operations. Among 1,600 meals, no ingredients were banned, and he also mentioned unique experiences like 'Amazon ants' at Brazil’s D.O.M. The interview hit 340,000 views in two weeks, reigniting debates over the guide’s opacity and foreshadowing direct impacts on restaurant reputation and reservation demand.

Key takeaways for the Korean headquarters

Relying solely on external rating systems is insufficient. Standardizing the headquarters’ own quality and service benchmarks and applying them consistently across franchise locations turns the operation into a true reputation asset. The starting point is to accumulate and manage QSCV inspection results in the headquarters ERP under a unified standard.

10. Singapore | "Are restaurant water charges justified?" TV controversy

The debate over 'water charges' at some restaurants has reignited, raising consumer sensitivity to food‑service pricing and policy. Singapore is a market where communication of service charges, water, and tissues directly influences sales and reputation.

Key takeaways for the Korean headquarters

When entering Singapore, refining pricing policy, menu labeling, and CS manuals is essential. The headquarters must provide franchise locations with a unified price‑display guide and CS response manual so that small additional costs do not become reputation risks.

This week’s insights

This week in the global foodservice market'Simultaneous growth and reputation management'Summarized in one sentence: In the U.S., India, and the U.K., new store openings and overseas expansion are accelerating, while China is absorbing new categories through a multi‑format strategy. At the same time, the Michelin transparency debate in France and Singapore’s water‑pricing issue signal that as growth curves steepen, reputation and price communication must advance together.

Festival‑style consumption in Hong Kong and Taiwan is most effective when the franchisor headquarters designs seasonal campaigns and collects B2B leads in tandem. The following outlines the flow the franchisor headquarters should review.

Four flows the franchisor headquarters should review

1.Identity Branding— Standardize the store experience around brand identity, not just menu categories

2.Multi‑Format Strategy— Compare profit and loss for each brand and format on a uniform basis within the headquarters ERP

3.Festival & Pop‑Up Utilization— Connect lead and response data to the headquarters system rather than just hosting the event

4.Price & Reputation Communication— Standardize price displays and CS manuals at headquarters and deliver consistent guidance to franchise locations

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and standardize franchise location operating data against headquarters benchmarks.

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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.