Genesis BBQ announced on August 5 that it has opened its third Hawaii location at Waikiki Beach, one of the most famous tourist destinations in the United States.
The new ‘BBQ Waikiki Store’ is situated in the Waikiki area of Honolulu, Oahu Island, Hawaii. This marks BBQ’s third location in Hawaii, following its stores in Quonno Mall and IARK Hawaii.
Hawaii is a world-renowned resort destination attracting approximately 10 million visitors annually. The Waikiki area, in particular, is a key commercial district, accounting for around 42% of the state's total tourism revenue. The region is densely packed with large shopping malls such as Ala Moana Center, luxury hotels, and high-end restaurants, making it a bustling area with high tourist traffic.
The BBQ Waikiki store has a size of about 74㎡ (roughly 22 pyeong) and operates as a ‘cafe-style’ outlet specializing in takeout and delivery. Given the hotel-centered commercial environment, the store focuses on catering to tourists’ takeout and delivery needs.
The menu features BBQ’s signature chicken, including Golden Pride Chicken, seasoned chicken, and soy garlic chicken. It also offers a variety of Korean foods such as burgers, cheese balls, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), and spicy sausage skewers. Additionally, fusion menu items tailored to Hawaii’s palate, including cheese tteokbokki, cream tteokbokki, and wok tteokbokki, are available.
Since opening its first store on 32nd Street in Manhattan, New York, in 2006, BBQ has steadily expanded across major US cities including New Jersey, Texas, and California. Last year, the company entered four new states: Tennessee, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Indiana. This year, BBQ continues its nationwide growth with new stores in Utah (31st store) and Oregon (32nd store).
A BBQ spokesperson stated, “Having a Korean chicken brand in the heart of one of the world's top vacation spots is highly significant,” adding, “It presents a great opportunity to showcase the unique taste of Korean chicken and Korean food to global consumers.”
