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Cupbop

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Cupbop Inc.
Restaurant information
Established2013; 13 years ago (2013), in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States
Owner(s)Junghun Song and Dok Kwon
Food typeKorean style Fast casual
LocationUnited 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 since grown to brick-and-mortar stores and concessions locations in other states.[6][7][8] The restaurant is credited with bringing Korean BBQ to Utah.[9] As of June 2024, in the United States there are 64 total store locations, six food trucks, and several concessions locations including the Delta Center. The chain also operates over 180 locations throughout Indonesia.[10] In 2024 the chain saw $64 million in annual revenue.[7][11][12]

History

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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.[7] Song spent his entire savings of 15 million won ($13,000) on a 2.4-pyeong food truck and two of his friends began selling Noryangjin-style Korean cuisine out of a 20-year-old food truck soon after and became the founders and co-owners of Cupbop.[13][7][4][14]

Dok Kwon, a Korean-born hedge fund investor, was one of Cupbop's first customers.[15] Kwon joined Cupbop as a partner in 2020.[15]

Throughout 2015, Cupbop expanded by opening more food trucks and a brick and mortar restaurant near Brigham Young University.[16][17] The company's recognizable branding led it to be frequently posted on social media and become known around the BYU campus.[18] Cupbop ran local events and marketing campaigns to promote growth.[19][20][18][21] Since its inception, Cupbop has opened over 64 stores across the U.S. and its sales have surpassed $64 million USD (30 billion won).[22]

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.[23][24]

In May 2022, the company's owners appeared on the American television show Shark Tank and asked for $1 million in exchange for a 3% stake in the company.[25] They made a deal with billionaire investor Mark Cuban, selling him 5 percent of the company for 1 million USD.[26][10] As of 2025, they operate 60 stores across 7 states–Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oklahoma and Texas, and 220 stores in Indonesia.[27][14] In July 2025, Cupbop opened their first store in Dubai through Alfahim Hospitality with an agreement to open 9 more stores there. They have also signed a contract with Canadian corporations to open Cupbop stores in Canada.[14]

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A mixed order of Ugly Bop

Cupbop's menu consists primarily of steamed rice bowls. They offer several different kinds of bowls, including Korean-style chicken katsu, Korean barbecue chicken, Korean barbecue pork, fried chicken, Korean barbecue beef, steamed vegetables, fried tofu, and sweet potato noodles, all served Korean barbecue style alongside white rice and cabbage.[28][5] Cupbop also serves other Korean staple foods as sides, like mandoo (a Korean dumpling), Korean-style corn dogs, and kimchi.[29][30] They also sell Milkis, a South Korean soft drink, and Yogo Vera, a non-carbonated Korean beverage flavored with aloe vera.

References

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  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. ^ https://www.cupbop.com/location
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Martin, Bradley (2020-09-02). "Cupboppers Alert, Korean Barbecue in a Cup Is Headed to the Eastside". Eater Vegas. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ admin (2024-04-05). "Cupbop Opens 50 New Stores, Boosts Valuation". Assets Magazine. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  13. ^ 이, 영섭. 노량진 컵밥으로 미국서 부자 된 청년들의 성공 노하우. Naver News. Archived from the original on 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  14. ^ a b c Eun-young, Kim (October 13, 2025). "[인터뷰] "한국 벗어난 순간 프리미엄 됐다" K컵밥으로 美서 600억 매출 낸 비결은" [Interview: "The moment I left Korea, I became a premium" The secret of 60 billion won in sales in the United States with K-cup rice]. ChosunBiz (in Korean). Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  15. ^ a b Rhind-Tutt, Louise; Rose, Jack (May 13, 2025). "Cupbop: Here's What Happened After Shark Tank". Food Republic. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  16. ^ "Korean Cupbop a Big Hit in Utah". Korea Bizwire. 29 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ "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.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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)
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ Mortin, Tyler (2022-04-29). "What Happened To Cupbop After The Shark Tank? | Net Worth & Valuation In 2022". Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ Winter, Ree (2022-08-16). "What Happened To Cupbop After Shark Tank?". Mashed.com. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
  28. ^ "Cupbop Menu". Cupbop.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  29. ^ "Here's 30 restaurants that opened in metro Phoenix in July". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  30. ^ "Menu". Cupbop: Korean BBQ in a Cup. Retrieved April 29, 2026.

Further reading

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In English

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In Korean

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