Kogi BBQ

What Kogi BBQ does

Kogi BBQ is a Los Angeles-based, founder-owned food service company founded in November 2008 by Roy Choi, Mark Manguera, and Caroline Shin. It operates a fleet of food trucks serving Korean-Mexican fusion cuisine — most famously its short rib tacos — at rotating pop-up locations across Los Angeles County, Orange County, the South Bay, the San Fernando Valley, the Inland Empire, Ventura County, and Santa Barbara County. The company is widely credited as a pioneer of the modern food truck movement, having built its initial following through early adoption of Twitter to broadcast daily truck locations. Menu items are priced at $4–$14 per unit for walk-up retail customers.

Beyond its core mobile truck operations, Kogi BBQ generates revenue through a structured catering business (food and beverage minimums of $1,250+ weekdays and $1,500+ weekends, plus 20% service charge and add-ons), targeting weddings, corporate events, film festivals, and studio productions. Marquee catering clients include Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, Microsoft, Toyota, BMW, and Kaiser Permanente. The company also operates fixed-location concepts — the Alibi Room bar in Culver City, Tacos Por Vida (live-fire street taco stand), and Chego! (Korean BBQ rice bowls) — and sells Kogi Sauce as a retail consumer packaged good via findkogi.com.

The business has no proprietary technology stack; competitive advantage rests on Roy Choi's celebrity-chef profile (James Beard Award winner, TIME 100 honoree, Netflix 'The Chef Show' co-host), nearly two decades of brand equity, a diversified multi-channel distribution model, and organic social-media-driven demand generation. The company remains privately held with no disclosed external funding or parent company, and employs 51–100 people.

Name

Kogi BBQ

Legal name

Kogi BBQ

Website

https://kogibbq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kogi BBQ is a Los Angeles-based food service company founded in 2008 that operates a fleet of food trucks serving Korean-Mexican fusion cuisine across Southern California, supplemented by a catering business serving enterprise events, fixed-location sub-brands (Alibi Room, Chego!, Tacos Por Vida), and a retail Kogi Sauce product.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Truck Services / Casual Mobile Dining

NAICS

Mobile Food Services (722330), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Trucks (Motorized) (THAFAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mobile Catering Trucks (On-Site Service) (THAFAHAJ), Mexican/Latin QSR (Tacos, Burritos, Bowls) (THAFAAAE)

Keywords

• Korean-Mexican fusion
• Food truck service
• Private event catering
• Street food
• Casual dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food Truck Retail Sales: Kogi BBQ generates revenue through direct walk-up sales from its food trucks at pop-up locations across Los Angeles and Orange County. Customers purchase individual menu items including tacos, quesadillas, burritos, sliders, and drinks at listed menu prices ($4–$14 per item). This is the primary volume channel.
2. Catering & Private Events: Kogi BBQ books its trucks for private events including weddings, corporate events, birthdays, film festivals, and studio productions. Revenue is driven by food & beverage minimums ($1,250+ Mon–Fri, $1,500+ Sat–Sun & holidays), additional hourly fees, 20% service charge, and optional add-ons (servers, specialty plates, out-of-truck experiences). Catering is confirmed with a signed contract and 50% deposit.
3. Restaurant Pickup (Alibi Room): Kogi BBQ operates a fixed restaurant location, Alibi Room, in Los Angeles (12236 Washington Blvd, 90066), where customers can pick up food without the truck. This complements the mobile truck model with a consistent physical storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kogi BBQ operates a fleet of mobile food trucks serving Korean-Mexican fusion cuisine (Korean BBQ tacos, burritos, quesadillas, sliders) at scheduled pop-up locations across Los Angeles County. The company also books its trucks for private event catering and operates fixed-location food outlets (Alibi Room, Tacos Por Vida, Chego!). Unit-priced menu items range from $4 to $14 per item for walk-up retail customers.

Product overview

Kogi BBQ operates a multi-faceted food service business centered on its flagship mobile food truck, which serves Korean BBQ tacos and fusion dishes across Los Angeles and Orange County. The company has expanded into catering services for private events (weddings, corporate functions, festivals), maintains the Alibi Room bar as a fixed location for truck-based service and pickup, operates the Tacos Por Vida live fire street taco stand, runs the Chego! rice bowl counter shop, and sells Kogi Sauce as a consumer packaged good. The portfolio comprises one core mobile product, multiple sub-brand food service locations, and branded retail products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chego!: Rice bowl counter shop offering Korean BBQ rice bowls
• Alibi Room
• Tacos Por Vida

Products and services

• Kogi BBQ Food Truck Mobile food truck serving Korean BBQ tacos, burritos, quesadillas, sliders, and other Korean-Mexican fusion dishes at scheduled pop-up locations throughout Los Angeles County. Walk-up retail customers purchase individual menu items at listed unit prices ($4 to $14 per item).
• Kogi BBQ Catering On-location catering service where Kogi BBQ food trucks attend private events including weddings, corporate events, birthdays, film festivals, and studio productions. Bookings require a signed contract and 50% deposit, with food and beverage minimums of $1,250+ (weekdays) and $1,500+ (weekends).
• Alibi Room A bar and restaurant operated by Kogi BBQ at 12236 Washington Blvd in Culver City, serving as a fixed food service and pickup location for Kogi orders.
• Tacos Por Vida A live fire street taco stand operated by Kogi BBQ as a sub-brand, representing the company's commitment to street food culture.
• Chego! A wholly owned rice bowl counter shop offering Kogi BBQ's signature Korean BBQ flavors in a rice bowl format.
• Kogi Sauce A branded Kogi BBQ sauce product sold for retail purchase through the findkogi.com online channel.

Named customers31 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PerfectVenueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKogi BBQ uses PerfectVenue's booking platform as the primary online reservation and event booking system for catering requests. Customers are directed to PerfectVenue (app.perfectvenue.com/venues/kogi-bbq) to book Kogi for private events. This is a technology/booking platform partnership that facilitates the catering sales process.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Seoul Sausage: LA-based Korean-American fusion food truck brand, also serving Korean flavors in casual street food format. Most direct comparable on cuisine style, geography, and operating model, though smaller scale.
• Guerrilla Tacos: LA-based modern Mexican food truck and brick-and-mortar concept serving elevated tacos and quesadillas. Comparable on Mexican-leaning street food, chef-driven positioning, and LA food truck culture overlap.
• Mariscos Jalisco: Iconic LA-based seafood taco food truck with a cult following and multiple trucks across LA. Comparable on LA food truck pioneer status, taco-led menu, and pop-up street-level distribution.
• The Halal Guys: Pioneer of the modern food truck movement on the East Coast, expanded into a national brick-and-mortar chain. Comparable on food truck pioneer status, cult following, and category-defining street food brand.
• Cousins Maine Lobster: Food truck brand that scaled nationally through franchising and brick-and-mortar expansion. Comparable on multi-truck operating model, branded food truck scaling, and event-driven catering distribution.
• Eggslut: LA-born chef-driven food concept that started as a food truck and expanded into permanent locations. Comparable on LA origin, food truck to brick-and-mortar evolution, and premium chef-led positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Chipotle Mexican Grill: National fast-casual chain serving Mexican-inspired bowls, tacos, and burritos. Comparable menu overlap (tacos, burritos) and broader scale of Mexican QSR category, though operating model and price point differ substantially.
• Torchy's Tacos: Better-positioned Mexican QSR chain that started as a food trailer and scaled nationally. Comparable on food truck origins, chef-driven taco menu, and multi-format expansion, though at meaningfully larger scale.
• Bonchon Chicken: National Korean-American fried chicken chain with global locations. Comparable on Korean flavors in a casual QSR format, demonstrating scaled expansion of Korean cuisine beyond traditional restaurants.

Others

• Off the Grid: Curated food truck marketplace and event producer operating across the Bay Area and beyond. Comparable as food truck ecosystem participant and event-driven distribution channel, not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kogibbq
• Instagraminstagram.com/kogibbq
• Facebookfacebook.com/KogiBBQTacos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/741862

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kogi BBQ