South Korean restaurant chains are aggressive in adding their stores in foreign countries as part of efforts to seek a breakthrough from the depressed local market and strict regulations for opening new chains of large food companies.

CJ Foodville Corp., a food service unit of Korean conglomerate CJ Group, on Monday said it has opened two new Bibigo outlets in California, the United States this month and will open another one in Shanghai, China, adding the number of its Bibigo Korean-style restaurants to 24 outlets operating across four countries - the U.S., China, the Great Britain and Indonesia. The food company has launched 11 new Bibigo joints in the U.S. and China this year alone.

Mr. Pizza, the country’s home-grown pizza brand that is operated by Seoul-based MPK Group Inc., also has been busy expanding its presence overseas. The company has recently added two new Mr. Pizza outlets, each in Vietnam and Thailand, MBK Group said on Saturday.

Industry watchers expect local food service chains will expedite their overseas expansion efforts as the local restaurant market has reached its saturation point. In particular, as for large-sized food service enterprises like CJ Foodville, advancement into the international market is a must because of the country’s law regulating the addition of new outlets in the area already crowded with mom and pop businesses in an attempt to protect smaller rivals from larger businesses’ buying power.

To combat such a challenge in local food service market, CJ Foodville has aimed to accelerate its global business expansion by doubling its overseas Bibigo outlets next year and run 300 Bibigo outlets across the world by 2020. The firm currently is operating about 350 outlets in 10 countries under four food brands - Bibigo, bakery chain Tous les Jours, coffee franchise Twosome Place, and restaurant chain VIPS.

To appeal to the palate of local diners, CJ Foodville has tailored dishes and restaurant styles to meet specific demand in each country, according to the company. In the U.S, Bibigo is positioned as a fast casual diner offering fresh food cooked on the spot with a customer selecting his or her own ingredients such as types of rice, vegetables and sauces for each dish. The firm also aims to run Bibigo shops mainly at food courts in big shopping malls, offering dishes at $7.95 per dish with dine-in or carry-out options.

In China, the food service firm is operating its Bibigo outlets as a casual dining restaurant type that takes an order and serves food at the table. Bibigo restaurants are considered as a premium Korean-style diner serving healthy dishes by local Chinese customers, the company said.

Mr. Pizza also has been expanding its footprints in the global market. The pizza chain this month opened its first Mr. Pizza restaurant in Vietnam with a plan to add three additional branches in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi in the first half of next year and operate 10 outlets by 2018. The company also added its third Mr. Pizza branch in Thailand this month. Starting with its first overseas Mr. Pizza restaurant in China in 2000, the pizza chain is operating across the globe including the Philippines, the U.S.

By Jeon Ji-hyun and Baek Sang-kyung

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