South Korean fried chicken chain bb.q Chicken is set to enter the Indian market next month, as reported by Indian newspaper The Hindu Business Line.

The Genesis BBQ Group brand will start operations with two outlets in Bengaluru, the state capital of Karnataka.

Following the Bengaluru launch, the company plans a phased rollout across other cities.

An outlet in Hyderabad is slated for July, with additional stores proposed in Kochi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Vellore.

The network is expected to reach seven to eight outlets in India by the end of this year.

For its India entry, bb.q Chicken has partnered with SrikG Group, which will be the brand’s master franchisee in the country.

Internationally, bb.q Chicken operates more than 2,300 restaurants in South Korea and close to 1,000 outlets overseas. The US is currently its largest international market.

The group is also moving into Europe this year as part of its broader overseas push.

India is being positioned as a priority geography in this growth plan. The company is targeting around 30 outlets in the country by 2027 and aims to expand to 150 by 2031, according to The Hindu Business Line.

In the near term, the focus will be on building scale in South India, with plans for more than 60 stores in the region over the next four years, before widening its reach to northern markets.

Genesis BBQ Group chairman Honggeun Yoon was quoted by the newspaper as saying: “If there are three strongest countries in the world, it would be the US, China, and India.”

He added that the country’s large young population is a “key growth driver”.

Genesis BBQ Group Global CEO Duhyeon Yun explained that India could contribute 15%–20% of the group’s worldwide business within five years.

In February, bb.q Chicken rolled out Deliverect’s digital ordering and menu management platform across more than 250 US outlets.