Chicken chains shift opening hours earlier to capture morning match crowd; industry eyes 'lunch rush' windfall
"There are dine-in customers too, so it will probably take about an hour. All the tables are fully booked."
It was around 10 a.m. Friday at the bhc fried chicken outlet near Samsung Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul — normally a quiet hour — but order alerts and phone calls rang without pause as South Korea prepared for its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Within 10 minutes of opening, 15 order receipts had been pinned to the board. Several were bulk orders of eight or more pieces. The kitchen was in full swing, frying chicken and mixing sauces at a frantic pace. Wait times stretched to an hour.
Dine-in customers began streaming in 30 minutes before kickoff, though some had to turn away after finding every group reservation already taken. "It's about 10 times our usual order volume," a store employee said. "We normally open with two staff, but today we brought in four."
By the time the 11 a.m. kickoff approached, the restaurant was packed. Choi, a 31-year-old office worker from Gangnam, said he had booked a table specifically to watch the match over chicken. "It's great to enjoy the game with colleagues," he said. Jeong Se-ho, 48, who took a day off work to come, said nearby spots were all full before he managed to get a seat. "It was hard to feel the World Cup atmosphere this year, but coming out to a place like this really brings it to life," he said. Every chicken and beer joint in the area showing the match was at full capacity.
The mood in the chicken industry heading into this World Cup is noticeably different from past tournaments. Previous editions delivered a windfall during evening and late-night matches, but South Korea's group-stage games this time are scheduled for the morning. Even so, chains have adjusted their hours to capture whatever demand they can.
bhc moved opening time to one hour before kickoff at nine company-operated locations, including its Samsung, Seolleung Station, Guui Station, Seocho Gyodae and Bukwirye outlets. BBQ shifted its app ordering start time to 8 a.m. on days the national team plays. Kyochon Chicken has also allowed franchisees to set their own hours at their discretion.
The industry's optimism is grounded in data from past tournaments. According to bhc, franchise sales on the day of South Korea's match against Uruguay at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar surged 200 percent compared with the same day the previous month, and rose 130 percent and 140 percent against the same day the prior week and prior year, respectively. BBQ reported a 170 percent month-on-month sales increase during that tournament, and app traffic swelled to roughly twice the anticipated level, temporarily slowing its system. Kyochon Chicken franchises also posted sales about 110 percent higher than the previous week on the day of South Korea's opening match.
An industry official said the atmosphere this time is "somewhat calmer" because the match schedule is less favorable than at past World Cups, but added that "a new lunchtime cheering culture could take hold, and we expect considerable demand from people gathering in the evening to watch replays or highlights."
siuu@heraldcorp.com
