Posted on 08/14/2018 8:59:47 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
More foodservice establishments are finding success with the versatile Korean barbecue trend.
Globally-inspire food trends continue to entice Americans.
Long before the PyeongChang, South Korea 2018 Olympic Winter Games Korean culture was diffusing into America at a rapid pace. The Korean wave swept in with K-pop, K-beauty, K-drama, K-food and now, according to recent data from The NPD Group, a global information company, K-BBQ.
Pounds of Korean barbeque sauce shipped from broadline foodservice distributors to U.S. independent and micro chain* restaurants increased by 120% last year and continues to grow.
K-BBQ is primarily sold by broadline distributors to Asian-casual dining and bar & grill restaurants. The strongest growth for these two restaurant concepts were in the mountain/pacific and west south central Census Divisions, where pounds shipped increased by triple digits, reports NPD’s SupplyTrack, a monthly service that tracks every product shipped from major broadline distributors to their foodservice operators. Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Albany, Baltimore and Houston are among the ten metro areas contributing to 46% of K-BBQ growth at bar and grill restaurants.
The versatility of K-BBQ, which typically comes in a choice of sweet and sour and sweet and savory flavor, lends itself to a variety of foods including burgers, jerky and tacos. The utilitarian aspect of Korean BBQ sauce opens it up to a broader group of restaurant channels like steak & rib; hamburger, pizza/Italian and chicken quick service restaurants; barbeque restaurants; and colleges and universities, said NPD.
“The growth of Korean barbeque is an example of how globally-inspired foods are becoming mainstream,” said Annie Roberts, vice president-SupplyTrack. “Ethnic spices are here to stay because food is the experience now, and foodservice distributors, manufacturers and operators will need to pay close attention to this trend.”
*chains with 3 to 19 units.
Uh, not me.
I love it!
Never any stray dogs around those Korean BBQ joints.
Just sayin’
I do. I had two Korean tofu bowls Saturday night that were so good I’m making it myself tomorrow.
I love it, too, but I never really though Korean BBQ was about the sauce. More about the condiments and the cooking style.
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, on God’s green earth that tastes better than Korean gal-bi. Nothing! Actually there is. Korean gal-bi with a cold bottle of Heineken.
Me either. There’s are Korea BBQ place near me. The wife and I tried it a few years ago. The stuff was awful.
I was an 18 year old stationed in Kunsan in 1972 when I first tasted Korean BBQ. I agree it is pretty good stuff. I also find it funny that Korean culture is popular now with US teens when none of them understand that the culture only exists due to American perseverance and sacrifices. I do educate the youngsters here in SoCal when I get the chance. :)
No way! Give me good old American barbecue anytime.
Most times when I have eaten BBQ from an Asian restaurant, I find that while the meat is tender and nicely roasted (grilled), the BBQ sauce often has a rather harsh, artificial or medicinal aftertaste. Maybe that’s just what appeals most with this culture’s cuisine.
I almost want to smuggle a small bottle of Open Pit BBQ Sauce in my cell phone pocket to use just for that purpose. The scenario would make a good commercial for Open Pit, and probably get me disinvited from that Chinese restaurant.
You can sit at a BBQ and grill at baseball games in Korea.
One word: Sosaties.
It is a Cape Malay dish.
I like Korean food, but the Cape Malay cooks had all the worlds spices at their finger tips.
Galbi Bulgogi is my go to order.
Now we know why our dogs disappear ... happy eating Korean BBQ fans
We have an H Mart near us that sells the meat - cooked and uncooked so you can take it home & dump your own barbeque sauce on it. I’ve only eaten it once in Koreatown in Manhattan. It was ok.
Might have made some of our bulgogi cookouts a bit tastier....
OTOH, maybe the place was just lousy. After all, there’s probably good restaurants and bad ones.
I agree. I don’t even remember sauce on the table when we ate in Seoul. There was some mixture of garlic and other stuff, but not a true sauce. I do remember the radish side dish at that place. So good!
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