KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot opened its first location in New Jersey in 2018 — and opened its 80th location in Manhattan this summer. In between, it moved into communities including Washington, D.C.; Orlando, Fla.; and Atlanta, making it its mission to teach those communities all there is to know about hot pot and Korean barbecue.
“We’re really hoping to … excite communities with cultural and ethnic diversity when it comes to their dining experiences,” said Maggie Farrell, head of marketing for KPOT’s parent company Vertex Hospitality Group. Farrell will be speaking at a CREATE Ask the Experts session called “How this Korean Hot Pot Chain Became One of the Nation’s Hottest Concepts;” restaurant operators can register for the free event here.
KPOT is indeed one of the hottest concepts. In 2023 it was the second fastest-growing chain in the Technomic Top 500 in terms of both sales and units, and has already experienced huge growth in 2024 (25 of those 80 restaurants opened this year). It’s one thing for a coffee chain to experience annual growth in the area of 250% (the only chain that grew faster than KPOT was 7-Brew), and quite another for a Korean barbecue and hot pot chain to achieve such numbers.
“One of the things that we are continuing to focus on when it comes to KPOT is really making sure that we are marketing in a way that everybody can understand,” Farrell said. “We’re focusing on menu education, menu variety, and bringing everybody along in the process of how to hot pot — and not only how to hot pot, but how to KPOT, really.”
When the KPOT team identifies a new market to move into, the marketing team dives in early, building digital listing pages weeks in advance to start building buzz. When the restaurant opens, it’s filled with crew members on hand with tablets to show consumers photos of menu items and instructional videos on how to hot pot and grill.
Farrell said the team is focused on “filling the gap” in areas that might not have Asian hot pot and Korean barbecue.
“When we’re expanding into new markets, we’ve identified … new areas that are lacking in some of that ethnically diverse cuisine,” she said. “We want to make sure that [consumers] are open, that they’re excited to try new things.
“Experiential dining, especially after the pandemic, is something that we’ve been focused on. And that really is what sets us apart. … There are other concepts that offer hot pot, and there are other concepts that offer Korean barbecue. But you typically don’t see them under one roof. So by bringing that fusion together, as well as a fun nightlife atmosphere … you really get to create that experience that you wouldn’t have otherwise.”
One of the most astounding things about KPOT’s meteoric growth is that the brand only began leaning into off-premises options like online ordering and take-out in the last few months.
“Not everybody has 90 minutes or two hours to sit down and eat,” Farrell said.
KPOT created a bento experience to allow customers to take KPOT home or to the office, or have it delivered, and has already seen huge success, especially at lunch.
“It’s been an incredible revenue generator, because there was a [missing] daypart, especially, when you think about lunch,” Farrell said. “I mean, when’s the last time you sat down for a two-hour lunch? ... We luckily identified that opportunity to start introducing bento and hot pot to go, and people are loving it.”
And there are more revenue streams still to unlock.
“We’ve got some catering opportunities that we’re looking to roll out,” she said.
Email Leigh Anne at [email protected]
