Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken earned the No. 17 spot on Fast Casual’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers list for 2026, which highlights standout brands in the fast-casual restaurant segment.

The publication received hundreds of nominations and incorporated data from its Fast Casual Index, which aggregates millions of publicly available data points and assigns each brand an aggregate percentage score based on real-world performance metrics. The index tracks metrics like expansion, technology integration and market sentiment. Scores were used to identify the 100 highest-scoring brands and final rankings were chosen by a panel of expert judges. 

In the ranking, Fast Casual wrote about Bonchon’s menu development last year such as its first dry rub, Classic Crunch. Bonchon’s investment in more efficient restaurant prototypes designed to appeal to younger consumers was also a factor in the ranking, as well as its use of AI in supply chain and marketing.

Bonchon CEO Suzie Tsai was also listed in the report as a Top 25 Executive. Tsai led Bonchon’s U.S. expansion past 150 locations, introduced a smaller “kitchen-forward” prototype and helped advance digital and AI-driven ordering. The publication also noted her role in driving franchise growth and elevating Korean culinary culture on a national level.

Download the report here. 

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/bonchon.