Cupbop

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This article is about an American restaurant chain. It is not to be confused with Cup-bap.
Cupbop Inc.
Restaurant information
Established2013; 11 years ago (2013), in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States
Owner(s)Junghun Song and J Park
Food typeFast casual
CountryUnited States and Indonesia
WebsiteCupbop.com

Cupbop (stylized as CUP-BOP) is an American fast casual restaurant chain located in the United States and Indonesia. They serve street-food style Korean barbecue, otherwise known as cup-bap (Korean: 컵밥).[1][2][3][4][5]

Cupbop started out in 2013 as a food truck in Salt Lake County, Utah and has grown steadily.[6][7] The restaurant is credited with bringing Korean BBQ to Utah.[8] As of February 2023, in the United States there are 48 total store locations, six food trucks, and several concessions locations including the Utah Jazz NBA Arena. The chain also operates over 100 locations throughout Indonesia.[9] In 2020 the chain saw $10 million in annual revenue.[6][10]

History[edit]

A Cupbop food truck in Utah in 2018.

Junghun Song started Cupbop after finding out that Korean cuisine was not represented at a Utah food convention in 2013.[6] Song and two of his friends began selling Korean cuisine out of a 20-year-old food truck soon after and became the founders and part-owners of Cupbop.[11][6][4]

Throughout 2015, Cupbop expanded by opening more food trucks and a brick and mortar restaurant near Brigham Young University.[12][13] The company's recognizable branding led it to be frequently posted on social media and become known around the BYU campus.[14] Cupbop ran local events and marketing campaigns to promote growth.[15][16][14][17] Since its inception, Cupbop has opened over 30 stores across the U.S. and its sales have surpassed 25 million USD (30 billion won).[18]

Cupbop saw acclaim in the restaurant industry with its inclusion Yahoo's selection of "27 of the Best Food Trucks in America" and was voted as the number one food truck in Utah in 2021.[19][20]

In May 2022, the company's owners appeared on the US television show Shark Tank and asked for $1 million in exchange for a 3% stake in the company.[21] They made a deal with billionaire investor Mark Cuban, selling him 5 percent of the company for 1 million USD.[22][9] As of 2022 they operate in six states–Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Oklahoma.[23]

Menu[edit]

Cupbop's menu consists primarily of steamed rice bowls. They offer several different types of bowls, including chicken, beef, pork, vegetables and tofu, all served Korean barbecue style alongside rice and cabbage.[24][5] Cupbop also serves other Korean staple foods such as mandu (a Korean dumpling) and kimchi.[25]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Twist It, Pull It, Cupbop It: Ramen 930 partners with Cupbop to bring together Korean BBQ and Japanese Ramen". SLUG Magazine. 2019-08-01. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  2. ^ Hines, Kalama (2021-04-09). "East Idaho Eats: Cups of delicious Korean barbecue spreading across Idaho". East Idaho News. Archived from the original on 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  3. ^ Antonation, Mark. "Last Year's Openings and Closings by the Numbers". Westword. Archived from the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  4. ^ a b "What is Cupbop? Cupbop Story". Cupbop.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  5. ^ a b "Cupbop OCN Eats: What's For Lunch?". Our Community Now. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  6. ^ a b c d "Cupbop serves up a winning combo for success in Utah and beyond". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  7. ^ Martin, Bradley (2020-09-02). "Cupboppers Alert, Korean Barbecue in a Cup Is Headed to the Eastside". Eater Vegas. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  8. ^ "Cupbop brought Korean BBQ to Utah. Now it's inspired Asian-Mexican fusion food in Vietnam". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  9. ^ a b Sauer, Megan (2022-05-06). "How this 'Shark Tank' CEO went from one food truck to a $1 million investment offer from Mark Cuban". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  10. ^ "Get ready for a steaming cup of korean BBQ". ABC4 Utah. 2021-05-17. Archived from the original on 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  11. ^ 이, 영섭. "노량진 컵밥으로 미국서 부자 된 청년들의 성공 노하우". Naver News. Archived from the original on 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  12. ^ "Korean Cupbop a Big Hit in Utah". Korea Bizwire. 29 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  13. ^ Carroll, Jordan. "New Korean BBQ shack will make stomachs sing mmmmbop". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on 2016-11-06. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  14. ^ a b "Local favorites BBQ in a cup and 'dirty' sodas among new food offerings at Utah Jazz arena". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  15. ^ "Coronavirus begins ravaging downtown Denver businesses as foot traffic decelerates". The Denver Post. 2020-03-13. Archived from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  16. ^ "Utah food trucks — designed for takeout meals — suffer without events, but they are open for business". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2021-07-20. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  17. ^ Martin, Bradley (2020-10-19). "CupBop Debuts Korean Barbecue in a Cup Near UNLV". Eater Vegas. Archived from the original on 2021-02-03. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  18. ^ Courtney1 (March 9, 2021). "Korean BBQ Cupbop Coming Soon To Twin Falls". 95.7 KEZJ. Archived from the original on 2021-03-10. Retrieved 2021-08-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ O'Heir, Jeff (April 23, 2015). "27 of the Best Food Trucks in America". Yahoo! Lifestyle. Archived from the original on 2019-12-25. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  20. ^ Morgan-Daily, Phillip. "Cupbop is the Korean BBQ King of Utah Valley food trucks". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  21. ^ Mortin, Tyler (2022-04-29). "What Happened To Cupbop After The Shark Tank? | Net Worth & Valuation In 2022". Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  22. ^ Johnson, Lottie Elizabeth (2022-05-09). "Utah's Cupbop struck a deal with Mark Cuban on 'Shark Tank.' Here's what happened". Deseret News. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  23. ^ Winter, Ree (2022-08-16). "What Happened To Cupbop After Shark Tank?". Mashed.com. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
  24. ^ "Cupbop Menu". Cupbop.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  25. ^ "Here's 30 restaurants that opened in metro Phoenix in July". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
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