Denver-based Dae Gee Korean BBQ is launching a franchise expansion with as many as three locations planned for Colorado over the next two years.
According to a press release, Dae Gee Korean BBQ hopes to open up to 10 franchise locations in Colorado and in the bordering states of Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming by 2023.
Dae Kee Korean BBQ CEO Joe Kim opened the first location in Westminster in 2012. There are currently five corporate-owned restaurants in Colorado, and Kim wants to partner with multi-unit operators to expand his Korean barbecue concept at franchise locations.
“The community support and encouragement that we’ve received over the years has prepared us for just this,” Kim said. “We’re obsessed with offering the most dynamic food around and eager to introduce other communities, cities, and states to our exceptional dining experience.”
Dae Gee Korean BBQ has been featured several times on Guy Fieri’s TV series Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The restaurant allows diners to cook their own meat on grill tops at their tables. “Dae Gee, which means pig in Korean, is about pigging out or pigout,” Kim said.
The menu, which incorporates Kim’s mother-in-law’s recipes, features traditional Korean meats such as Galbee, which is a beef short rib, Sam Gyeob Sal (Sliced Pork Belly), and chicken called Dak Bulgogi. These ingredients are marinated and can be eaten in a bowl or hot stone pot with rice, fresh slaw, and so on, or as a lettuce wrap. Fish and vegetarian options are also available.
There is no word yet on when or where these franchise locations will open, but Denver area diners can expect more Korean BBQ options in the near future.
