Bar B Q Plaza

What Bar B Q Plaza does

Bar B Q Plaza, legally Food Passion Co., Ltd., operates Thailand's first and longest-established Mongolian-Japanese style tabletop grill restaurant chain, founded in 1987 by Chupong Chupongsern. The flagship concept serves all-you-can-eat grilled meat (pork, beef, seafood) on electric tabletop griddles, with a tiered buffet pricing structure ranging from 399 THB (pork only) to 1,099 THB (Beyond Ultimate premium tier). The chain operates 150+ branches across Thailand, primarily in major shopping malls such as Central, The Mall, Robinson, Lotus's, and Big C, with a 5,000 sqm central kitchen and distribution center at Navanakorn Industrial Estate standardizing quality and supply across the network. Internationally, Bar B Q Plaza operates through joint ventures and master franchises: 18 branches in Malaysia (via W.A. Food Holdings, JV established 2005), 2 in Indonesia (via PT. Karya MannA, 2013), and a master franchise arrangement with Express Food Group (EFG) in Cambodia covering 2+ branches.

The business model centers on a direct-to-consumer restaurant operation with dine-in, take-away, and proprietary GON Delivery (via LINE), augmented by bottled sauce retail sales at partner supermarkets (Gourmet Market, Lotus's, Big C) and Lazada, plus B2B and consumer gift vouchers. Food Passion also operates a multi-brand portfolio of adjacent dining concepts — Chum Sab Hut (Thai hot pot, launched 1993), CHARNA (healthy soup, 2018), and SPACE Q (social grill, 2018) — and acquired a 74% stake in Red Sun Korean BBQ in 2019. The customer base is mass-market Thai families, groups, and individuals across age segments, supported by a four-tier GON member loyalty program (Friend, Buddy, Soulmate, Family) and brand-extension merchandise collaborations with partners like CARNIVAL streetwear. The company is privately held and family-controlled by the Chupongsern family, with no evidence of external venture or private equity investment, and operates with approximately 4,000 employees across offices and restaurants.

Name

Bar B Q Plaza

Legal name

Food Passion Co., Ltd. (บริษัท ฟู้ดแพชชั่น จำกัด)

Website

https://barbqplaza.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bar B Q Plaza, operated by Food Passion Co., Ltd., runs a 150+-branch Thai Mongolian-Japanese tabletop grill restaurant chain with centralized kitchen supply, retail bottled sauce sales, and an adjacent multi-brand portfolio of hot pot, healthy soup, and Korean BBQ concepts serving mass-market Thai families and groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Concept / Global QSR Chains (Mixed Menus) (THAFAAAO)

Keywords

• Mongolian-style grill
• Buffet restaurant
• Table top grilling
• Dipping sauce
• Thai casual dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangkok

HQ country

Thailand

HQ region

Asia

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in restaurant sales: Core revenue from customers dining at one of 150+ branches across Thailand. Menu includes a la carte items, buffet packages (pork, pork+beef, pork+seafood, all-inclusive), set meals, and limited-time promotions.
2. Take-away and delivery: Revenue from take-home orders and GON Delivery (proprietary delivery via LINE), as well as third-party platforms such as GrabFood, ShopeeFood, and Lineman.
3. Food retail — bottled sauces: Bottled dipping sauces (original and lite varieties, Mookrata sauce) sold at restaurant counters, through GON Shop, Gourmet Market, Lazada, and partner retail chains. Target of 50 million THB in sauce revenue for 2023.
4. Gift vouchers (B2B and consumer): Corporate B2B vouchers, cash vouchers, E-cash vouchers, and E-voucher meal sets sold to consumers for use at all branches.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Bar B Q Plaza operates a chain of casual dining restaurants specializing in Mongolian-Japanese style tabletop grilled meat (buffet and set meals) across Thailand with more than 150 branches. The offering includes tiered buffet packages (pork, pork+beef, pork+seafood, all-inclusive) priced from 399 to 599 THB, premium Beyond Buffet tiers up to 1,099 THB, and a la carte items. The brand also sells proprietary dipping sauces (original, lite, and Mookrata variants) through retail channels including Gourmet Market, Lotus's, Big C, and Lazada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bar B Q Plaza: BBQ grill restaurant chain - flagship brand featuring Mongolian-Japanese style BBQ on griddle
• จุ่มแซ่บฮัท (Chum Sab Hut)
• ฌานา (CHARNA)
• สเปซ คิว (SPACE Q)
• เรดซัน (Red Sun)
• GON member
• GON Delivery
• Gon Express

Products and services

• Bar B Q Plaza Mongolian-Japanese Table Top Grill Dining The flagship service offering: dine-in all-you-can-eat Mongolian-Japanese style tabletop grilled meat at 150+ branches across Thailand's leading shopping malls. Buffet tiers include Pork (399 THB), Pork+Beef (499 THB), Pork+Seafood (529 THB), and All-inclusive (599 THB); a la carte sets, lunch sets, and limited-time promotions are also offered. All prices include VAT.
• GON Beyond Buffet Premium Tier Premium all-you-can-eat grilled meat dining tier with three sub-tiers: Beyond Select (699 THB), Beyond Signature (899 THB), and Beyond Ultimate (1,099 THB). All prices include VAT. Available only at the Central Pin Klao branch.
• GON Buffet 3AM Late-Night Package Three late-night buffet tiers priced at 459 THB, 559 THB, and 959 THB per person, available 21:00-02:00/05:00 at select late-night branches.
• GON Delivery Service Proprietary delivery service accessible through LINE @GONmember, offering food delivery with free delivery code (FREESHIP10 minimum 300 THB, up to 82 THB discount within 10km).

Quantifiable outcome

• Sauce retail generated 2.7 million THB on the first day of launch (November 2022)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lotus's (via My Lotus's App)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2026Exclusive Deal — Lotus's customers exchange 1 point for a 24% discount on the Full Pork Moo Kata PRO (955 THB from regular 1,259 THB). Available at 20 Lotus's branch locations. Limited to 20,000 redemptions. Promotion period: July 1 – August 31, 2026.
• Big C (via Big C Plus App)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 June 2026Co-promotion allowing Big C Plus members to exchange 1 point for a 30% discount on the Full Pork Moo Kata PRO MAX (1,189 THB from regular 1,699 THB). Available at 22 Big C branch locations. Limited to 25,000 redemptions. Promotion period: June 16 – August 31, 2026.
• TROSminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 May 2025Partnership providing 200 THB discount coupons for GON members on minimum spend of 800 THB. Available at all Bar B Q Plaza branches for dine-in and take-home. Limited to 3,000 redemptions total. Promotion period: May 10 – June 9, 2025.
• SE-ED, B2S, Naiin, Kinokuniya bookstoresminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 27 November 2024Distribution of the 'Bar B GON and the Quest for the Sacred Fire' business fable book through major Thai bookstore chains including SE-ED, B2S, Naiin (Naiin.com), and Kinokuniya, as well as 23 Bar B Q Plaza branches. Published November 2024.
• KBank (Kasikorn Bank)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 September 2023Co-branded promotion with KBank Visa Debit cardholders. KBank cardholders could purchase the Bar B Q Plaza x KBank Visa Debit Set at 999 THB (regular 1,099 THB) via LINE KBank Live registration. Promotion period: October–December 2023. Limited to 10,000 redemptions total, 2 per card per month.
• Gourmet MarketcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 12 April 2023Bar B Q Plaza's first food retail expansion — bottled dipping sauces (original and lite recipes) sold at 6 Gourmet Market locations (Tha Phra, Ngamwongwan, Emporium, EmQuartier, Siam Paragon, and Korat). Concept: 'Delicious as if eating at the restaurant.' Targets middle-to-upper class shoppers who enjoy cooking at home.
• CARNIVALminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2023Limited-edition 'Born To Grill' merchandise collaboration featuring streetwear apparel (T-shirts, hoodies, bags, hats) sold at CARNIVAL Siam Square and Bar B Q Plaza Siam Square One. Also included exclusive GONxBernie figurine (300 pieces) and a special CARNIVAL dipping sauce recipe. Event ran March 24–26, 2023 at CARNIVAL Siam Square with GON LAND activation.
• Express Food Group (EFG)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2017Master franchise partnership for Bar B Q Plaza operations in Cambodia. Joint venture with Express Food Group (EFG), a major regional food franchise operator in Southeast Asia. First branch opened at AEON Mall Phnom Penh in July 2017. Includes rights to open standalone branches in Cambodia, with exclusive rights as master franchisee.
• PT. Karya MannAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2013Joint venture partnership for Bar B Q Plaza operations in Indonesia. First branch opened at Puri Indra Mall, Jakarta in 2013. Currently operates 2 branches in Indonesia.
• W.A.Food Holdings SDN. BHD. (Double A Food Holding)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2005Joint venture partnership for Bar B Q Plaza operations in Malaysia. First branch opened at 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur in 2005. JV company also operates a central kitchen in Malaysia (1,000 sqm, supporting up to 20 branches). Currently operates 18 branches in Malaysia.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Kogi Korea / KBBQ-style chains expanding in SEA: Emerging Korean BBQ chains entering Thai and SEA malls — directly overlapping the Red Sun sub-brand and adjacent to Bar B Q Plaza's own grilled-meat positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Central Group / Central Food Retail (Gourmet Market): Major Thai retail conglomerate that hosts Bar B Q Plaza as a tenant and is also the distribution channel for its retail sauce line. Comparable as a large incumbent in Thai foodservice/food retail with overlapping customer touchpoints.
• Muji Restaurants (Thailand): Japanese-themed casual-dining brand operated in Thai malls. Comparable as a Japanese-influenced, mall-located, standardized casual-dining concept targeting similar customer demographics.

Others

• W.A. Food Holdings: Malaysian JV partner running Bar B Q Plaza's 18 Malaysia branches; comparable as a regional restaurant/franchise operator with shared exposure to the Bar B Q Plaza brand and buffet model.

Direct peers

• Shabu Shi (Oishi Group): Japanese-style shabu and conveyor-belt sushi chain owned by Oishi Group, operating in Thai shopping malls with buffet-formula dining. Comparable on Asian buffet positioning, mall footprint, and target mass-market Thai consumers.
• Hot Pot Buffet / Coco Ichibanya-style chains in Thailand: Other Asian-casual-dining and hot-pot chains operating Thai shopping malls with similar value/buffet positioning to Bar B Q Plaza's pork and pork+seafood packages.
• MK Restaurants: Largest Thai sukiyaki/shabu restaurant chain operating 400+ branches domestically and regionally. Directly comparable as the dominant Thai all-you-can-eat hot-pot/BBQ player competing for the same family dining occasions and Thai mall real estate.
• Yayoi (Thai operations): Japanese teishoku/set-meal restaurant chain with Thai branch network in shopping malls. Comparable Asian-Japanese dining concept targeting family and group diners in Thai malls with standardized menus.
• SukiJirou / Zen (Zen Restaurant Group): Premium Japanese shabu and hot-pot chains present in Bangkok shopping centers. Comparable in upper-tier buffet pricing (Beyond Select/Signature/Ultimate 699–1,099 THB tier) and Asian grilled/hot cooking format.
• Zabb Silom (and other Thai Moo Krata chains): Thai-Mookata (pork BBQ with pan hotpot) chain heavily concentrated in Bangkok. Direct rival to Bar B Q Plaza's Mongolian-Japanese BBQ thesis within the same grilled-meat / buffet category in Thai malls.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BarBQPlazaThai
• Facebookfacebook.com/BarBQPlazaThailand
• Instagraminstagram.com/barbqplaza_th
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bar-b-q-plaza

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Bar B Q Plaza