Flame Broiler

What Flame Broiler does

Flame Broiler (legal entity: The Flame Broiler, Inc.) is a privately held, family-owned Korean-inspired quick-service restaurant chain founded in 1995 by Young Lee and his wife Sarah in Orange County, California. The company operates a focused menu centered on charbroiled proteins served in bowls, plates, and salads, with a proprietary sauce recipe ("Simply Magic Sauce") created in the founders' home kitchen in 1994 as a key brand differentiator. Since launching its franchising program in 1999, Flame Broiler has grown to a nationwide U.S. presence operated through independently owned and operated franchise locations, while the corporate entity remains headquartered in Santa Ana, CA.

The business generates revenue from two primary streams: (1) food and beverage sales across the franchise network, anchored by a low price point (protein bowls starting at $2.99) and a "healthy quick-service" positioning versus fried competitors, and (2) franchise fees and royalties, with an initial franchise fee of $35,000 and total franchise investment ranging from $464,706 to $776,334 per location. The digital product portfolio consists of an iOS/Android mobile application, a web-based online ordering platform, the Magic Rewards points-based loyalty program (10 points per dollar), gift cards, and a catering service — none of which represent proprietary AI or advanced-software differentiation. Marketing is conducted through owned social channels (TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook, LinkedIn) and the loyalty program.

Flame Broiler serves two customer segments: health-conscious individual consumers seeking affordable, fast, healthy meals (primary), and prospective franchise entrepreneurs with restaurant experience and capital availability (secondary). In 2024, the founder's three sons — Daniel, Christian, and David — joined the business as co-owners, formalizing a next-generation leadership transition. The company maintains an ongoing charitable partnership with Compassion International, under which 382 children have been sponsored since 2009. No external funding rounds, M&A activity, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in source materials.

Name

Flame Broiler

Legal name

The Flame Broiler, Inc.

Website

https://flamebroilerusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Flame Broiler is a privately held, family-owned Korean-inspired quick-service restaurant chain founded in 1995 and operated through franchised locations nationwide. It serves health-conscious consumers charbroiled bowls, plates, and salads with proprietary Simply Magic Sauce, and licenses its concept to franchise entrepreneurs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Quick-Service Restaurants

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Dietary & Wellness Catering (Vegan, Halal, Kosher, Allergy-Friendly) (THAFAIAK)

Keywords

• Quick-service restaurants
• Korean-inspired bowls
• Franchise restaurant chain
• Charbroiled chicken bowls
• Healthy fast casual

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Ana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Food and beverage sales: Revenue generated from direct food and beverage sales at company-owned and franchised restaurant locations. Customers purchase Korean-inspired charbroiled bowls, plates, and other menu items.
2. Franchise fees and royalties: Initial franchise fee of $35,000 plus ongoing royalty payments from franchisees. Franchise investment ranges from $464,706 to $776,334.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Flame Broiler operates a franchise-based quick-service restaurant chain serving Korean-inspired charbroiled chicken, beef, and other protein bowls, plates, and salads with rice and vegetables, accented by its proprietary Simply Magic Sauce. The company also provides online and mobile ordering, the Magic Rewards loyalty program, catering, and reloadable gift cards to health-conscious consumers nationwide in the United States.

Product overview

Flame Broiler is a family-owned Korean-inspired quick-service restaurant chain founded in 1995 by Young Lee. The company operates a simple menu focused on charbroiled proteins served in bowls with rice and vegetables. Its digital product portfolio consists of a mobile app (iOS/Android) and web-based online ordering platform, supplemented by the Magic Rewards loyalty program, catering services, and gift cards. The company announced a new limited-time Charbroiled Chicken Wings offering in December 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Magic Rewards: The company's loyalty rewards program where customers earn points for purchases and redeem them for free food and rewards.

Products and services

• Magic Rewards loyalty program Customer-facing loyalty program for Flame Broiler diners that awards 10 points per dollar spent, with tier levels, welcome offers, and redemption for free food and exclusive rewards.
• Catering services Catering menu and group-order service available at local Flame Broiler locations for events, offices, and group gatherings.
• Flame Broiler gift cards Reloadable gift cards with a minimum load of $5 and maximum balance of $500, redeemable at participating Flame Broiler locations.
• Charbroiled Chicken Wings (limited-time menu item) Limited-time nationwide charbroiled chicken wings menu item marketed as a healthier alternative to fried chicken, available at Flame Broiler locations from December 8, 2025 to March 31, 2026.
• Flame Broiler franchise opportunity Franchise offering for entrepreneurs to open and operate a Flame Broiler quick-service restaurant, with an initial franchise fee of $35,000 plus ongoing royalties and a total investment range of $464,706 to $776,334.

Quantifiable outcome

• 382 children sponsored through Compassion International program

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Compassion InternationalcoreOthers · 1 January 2009Flame Broiler partners with Compassion International, a Christian child advocacy ministry. Since 2009, founder Young Lee pledged to sponsor two children in need for every Flame Broiler location that opens. As of the giving back page, 382 children have been sponsored through this program. The partnership extends the company's impact beyond restaurant operations for community benefit.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bibibop Asian Grill: Bibibop operates a fast-casual chain of build-your-own Korean-inspired bowls with rice, proteins, and vegetables; it is the most direct category and format competitor to Flame Broiler, sharing its cuisine focus, bowl customization model, and healthy positioning.
• Wingstop: Wingstop is a chicken-focused fast-casual/QSR chain that has scaled aggressively through franchising and digital channels; Flame Broiler's Charbroiled Chicken Wings LTO extends directly into this peer set's core product.
• CAVA: CAVA is a Mediterranean-inspired bowl and plate chain with a similar customizable fast-casual format, comparable per-unit ticket size, and strong digital and loyalty capabilities that parallel Flame Broiler's charbroiled bowl platform.
• Qdoba Mexican Eats: Qdoba operates a customizable Mexican-inspired bowl and burrito chain with a franchise operating model and a similar per-unit check profile, providing a close benchmark for franchise-driven fast-casual unit growth.
• MOD Pizza: MOD Pizza is a customizable fast-casual franchise chain with strong digital ordering and loyalty mechanics, providing a relevant peer benchmark for technology-enabled fast-casual franchising at scale.
• Sweetgreen: Sweetgreen runs a national chain of customizable bowls and salads with a healthy positioning, mirroring Flame Broiler's bowl-centric, digitally enabled fast-casual model and serving overlapping health-conscious consumers.
• Salad and Go: Salad and Go operates a value-positioned healthy bowl and salad chain built around digital ordering and drive-thru efficiency, mirroring Flame Broiler's affordable, health-oriented QSR positioning and unit economics.
• Teriyaki Madness: Teriyaki Madness runs an Asian-inspired bowl and protein-focused fast-casual franchise chain, directly comparable to Flame Broiler in cuisine family, bowl format, and per-unit ticket size.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Chipotle pioneered the customizable bowl fast-casual format in Mexican cuisine and is the reference benchmark for unit economics, digital ordering, and loyalty in the category Flame Broiler competes within.

Broad incumbents

• Panera Bread: Panera Bread is a large, established fast-casual chain with a wellness-oriented brand and industry-leading digital and loyalty programs, setting the upper-bound benchmark for fast-casual competitors Flame Broiler benchmarks against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheFlameBroiler
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheFlameBroiler
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-flame-broiler-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/theflamebroiler?igsh=MTlxaGh0aHRmcWsydg==
• TikToktiktok.com/@theflamebroiler

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Flame Broiler