Cupbop

Fast Casual Restaurantscupbop.com

Cupbop is a privately held US Korean BBQ fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 2013, serving signature bowls and K-Wings in a cup format with a proprietary sauce heat scale. It operates through food trucks, storefronts, catering, and a franchise model targeting individual consumers across the United States.

Company typePrivate
Founded2013
HeadquartersDraper, United States
Headcount101–250
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Cupbop does

Cupbop Inc. is a US-based Korean BBQ fast-casual restaurant company founded in 2013 by Junghun Song in Utah. The company serves Korean BBQ bowls and Korean-style chicken wings (K-Wings) in a portable cup format, anchored by a proprietary sauce heat scale that ranges from #1 (sweet) to #10 (extreme heat), including fractional custom levels such as #7.5 and #6.35. The brand is positioned around affordable, fresh, fast-service Korean cuisine targeting individual consumers seeking novel fast-casual options, alongside a secondary catering segment serving corporate and private events in individual bowl, buffet, or food truck formats.

The company's technology layer consists of a native iOS and Android mobile application enabling order-ahead, loyalty rewards enrollment (via the thanx platform), birthday rewards, and push notifications for promotions. Online ordering fulfillment is powered by a DoorDash Storefront integration. Distribution combines company-operated and franchised food trucks, brick-and-mortar storefronts, concession stands, catering services, and franchise opportunities — with the franchise program reportedly prioritized for existing employees. The brand operates in the United States and has begun international market seeding through a festival-exclusive activation at UNTOLD Dubai 2025 at Dubai Parks and Resorts.

Cupbop monetizes through direct transaction-based food sales (individual bowls, K-Wings, catering), franchise fees and royalties from individual franchisees, and third-party delivery transaction fees via DoorDash. Pricing is structured as pay-as-you-go unit pricing for bowls, with catering priced per event format. Specific pricing, revenue figures, and capital structure have not been publicly disclosed. The company is privately held, headquartered at 12184 South Business Park Drive, Suite C, Draper, Utah, and reports a headcount of 101–250 employees.

Cupbop firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Cupbop
Legal name: Cupbop Inc.
Website: https://cupbop.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2013
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 101–250 employees
Short description: Cupbop is a privately held US Korean BBQ fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 2013, serving signature bowls and K-Wings in a cup format with a proprietary sauce heat scale. It operates through food trucks, storefronts, catering, and a franchise model targeting individual consumers across the United States.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Cupbop industry classification

Industry

Product category: Fast Casual Restaurants
NAICS: Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)
SIC: Beverages (2080), Cookies & Crackers (2052)
akta.pro primary industry: Chicken & Wings QSR (THAFAAAC)

Keywords

Korean BBQ bowls
Fast casual dining
Food truck franchise
Korean cuisine catering
Restaurant rewards app

Where Cupbop is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Draper
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Cupbop business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Direct Food Sales: Revenue generated from selling Korean BBQ bowls, K-wings, and other menu items directly to consumers through food trucks, storefronts, and catering services. The brand offers individual bowl orders, buffet-style catering, and food truck catering options.
Franchise Fees: Cupbop generates revenue through individual franchise opportunities, particularly targeting existing employees who want to grow with the company as it expands rapidly.
Delivery and Third-Party Ordering: Revenue from online orders placed through the company's website and app, fulfilled via DoorDash delivery partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Individual bowl pricing

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Cupbop product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Cupbop is a Korean BBQ fast-casual restaurant brand that serves Korean-style BBQ bowls in cups and Korean-style chicken wings (K-Wings), with a proprietary multi-tier sauce heat scale ranging from #1 sweet to #10 heat. The brand operates through company-owned and franchised food trucks, brick-and-mortar storefronts, catering services for events, and online ordering with delivery, supported by a mobile app and loyalty rewards program.

Product overview

Cupbop is a Korean BBQ fast-casual restaurant brand offering a unified menu centered on its signature Korean BBQ dishes served in cups. The core product portfolio includes the original Cupbop (Korean BBQ in a cup) and K-Wings (Korean-style chicken wings), both featuring the company's proprietary sauce system ranging from sweet (#1) to extra spicy (#10). Additional offerings include catering services available in individual bowl, buffet, or food truck formats, and a mobile app integrated with a loyalty rewards program. Founded as a food truck concept in 2013, Cupbop operates through physical storefronts, food trucks, and concession stands, with recent expansion into UAE markets and participation in international events like UNTOLD Dubai.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Cupbop (Korean BBQ in a Cup) Signature Korean BBQ bowl served in a cup, featuring steamed rice, Korean-style marinated protein, fresh vegetables, and the brand's proprietary sauces ranging from #1 sweet to #10 heat, targeted at consumers seeking a quick, affordable, customizable Korean meal.
K-Wings Korean-style chicken wings marketed as 'Great Naked. Better Sauced.', featuring the same signature Cupbop sauce lineup (#1 sweet to #10 heat) as the original bowls, targeted at consumers seeking sauced Korean-style wings.
Catering Services Corporate and event catering service offering three formats—individual bowl service, buffet-style setup, and full food truck deployment—targeted at businesses, organizations, and private parties hosting events.
Cupbop Mobile App Native mobile application for iOS and Android that enables customers to order ahead, access online ordering, receive promotional alerts, and connect with the loyalty rewards program, targeted at Cupbop's consumer base for repeat ordering and engagement.
Loyalty Rewards Program Customer loyalty rewards program powered by thanx offering free food, branded merchandise, birthday rewards, and promotional savings for repeat customers, targeted at frequent Cupbop diners.

Quantifiable outcome

Recognized among top 5 Korean food franchise brands in the US
+1 more outcomes

Companies that use Cupbop

Customer profile

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Cupbop technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Cupbop partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

UNTOLD Dubai / Dubai Parks and ResortsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 November 2025Cupbop participated as a vendor at UNTOLD Dubai 2025 festival at Dubai Parks and Resorts from November 6-9, 2025. The event featured a festival-exclusive menu and merchandise, serving as a platform for Cupbop to expand its presence in the UAE market.
DoorDashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDoorDash serves as the primary third-party delivery partner for Cupbop, powering online ordering and delivery services through DoorDash Storefront. The partnership enables customers to order Cupbop for delivery through the DoorDash platform.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Cupbop competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Bonchon: Bonchon is a Korean fried chicken and Asian fusion QSR/fast-casual franchise with broad US presence. It is a directly named competitor to Cupbop among the top 5 Korean food franchise brands and serves overlapping customer demand for Korean-flavored fast-casual food.
Teriyaki Madness: Teriyaki Madness is a fast-casual Asian bowl franchise with a multi-unit US footprint. It competes with Cupbop for franchisee capital and consumer spend on Asian-flavored fast-casual meals served in bowl format.
Bibibop Asian Grill: Bibibop Asian Grill is a Korean-inspired build-your-own bowl fast-casual chain. It is a near-direct comparable to Cupbop in format (Korean bowls, customizable proteins and toppings), target customer (quick-service Asian food seekers), and price point.
JAWS Topokki: JAWS Topokki is a Korean rice cake (topokki) fast-casual chain with US locations. It is named alongside Cupbop in the top 5 Korean food franchise brands and overlaps on Korean-flavored fast-casual positioning and franchise growth strategy.
Kyochon Chicken: Kyochon Chicken is a Korean chicken QSR brand with US franchise operations. It is one of the five Korean food franchise brands named alongside Cupbop, directly competing for franchisees and consumer occasions in the Korean QSR category.
bb.q Chicken: bb.q Chicken is a Korean fried chicken franchise operating in the US. It is explicitly listed alongside Cupbop among the top 5 Korean food franchise brands, targeting the same consumer base seeking Korean-style QSR offerings.

Broad incumbents

MOD Pizza: MOD Pizza is a fast-casual build-your-own chain with national franchise and company-owned locations. It is comparable to Cupbop on fast-casual format, customizable menu, and franchise expansion model, though it operates in pizza rather than Korean cuisine.
CAVA: CAVA is a large fast-casual Mediterranean bowl chain with national footprint and recent public listing. It shares Cupbop's build-your-own bowl, fast-casual, and tech-enabled ordering model, though it targets a different cuisine and operates at much larger scale.
Chipotle Mexican Grill: Chipotle is the dominant US fast-casual chain built around customizable bowls and a digital/loyalty ecosystem. While cuisine differs, it competes for the same value-conscious, fast-service consumer occasion and franchise-free scale benchmark relevant to Cupbop's ambitions.
Sweetgreen: Sweetgreen is a publicly traded fast-casual salad/bowl chain with strong digital ordering and loyalty. It shares Cupbop's bowl format, tech-forward ordering, and focus on fresh, customizable meals, serving as a benchmark for how a digitally native fast-casual brand can scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Cupbop financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Cupbop leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Cupbop funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Cupbop M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Cupbop

What does Cupbop do?

Is Cupbop a public or private company?

Cupbop is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Cupbop founded?

Cupbop was founded in 2013. It employs 101 to 250 people.

Where is Cupbop based?

Cupbop is headquartered in Draper, United States, in the North America region.

How does Cupbop make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Direct Food Sales are the primary driver. The others are franchise Fees and delivery and Third-Party Ordering.

Who are Cupbop's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Bonchon, Teriyaki Madness, Bibibop Asian Grill, JAWS Topokki, Kyochon Chicken and bb.q Chicken. Broad incumbents are MOD Pizza, CAVA, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Sweetgreen.

Does Cupbop have an API?

No public API is recorded for Cupbop.

What industry is Cupbop in?

Cupbop's product category is Fast Casual Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAAAC, Chicken & Wings QSR. Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 2080.