How to Start a Bonchon Franchise in 7 Steps: Checklist

Bonchon’s current ideal-candidate page lists these financial gates: 1–2 units, $500,000 liquid assets and $1 million net worth; 3–5 units, $750,000–$1.2 million liquid assets and $2 million net worth; 5+ units, $1.2–$2 million liquid assets and $5–$10 million net worth. The public categories overlap at five units, so that threshold needs confirmation.

Restaurant experience is presented as an ideal-candidate preference, not an FDD contractual minimum. The application asks about experience, preferred city, net worth, and available cash; Bonchon’s privacy policy says an online franchise application may also request Social Security number, immigration status, criminal history, assets, and liabilities. No public minimum credit score is disclosed.

The public Bonchon ownership process describes an initial call, financial review and application, an in-person Dallas meeting, and franchise approval. Those marketing-stage steps do not replace the contractual sequence that begins with FDD delivery, agreement execution, site and lease approvals, development, training, inspection, and written opening authorization.

The unit Franchise Agreement creates a deadline ladder measured from its effective date. Dine-In, Fast Casual, and Delivery and Carryout Only Restaurants share the longer track; Remote Kitchen Restaurants use shorter site, lease, and opening limits. The opening date can be earlier if Exhibit A specifies an earlier Scheduled Opening Date.

No. The Site Selection Area is only the geography in which the franchisee may search. Bonchon’s written site approval confirms that a proposed Restaurant Location meets its minimum site criteria; it is not a profitability guarantee. The proposed lease is reviewed separately, and the Restaurant Location and Protected Territory are designated in Exhibit A to the Franchise Agreement.

Bonchon must approve final plans in writing before governmental filing or construction. The franchisee uses Bonchon’s designated Architect of Record and general contractor unless an alternative is approved; each alternative request has a three-week decision period after complete information, and silence means the proposed alternative cannot be used. Required building, occupancy, signage, utility, zoning, use, and other local approvals remain the franchisee’s responsibility.

The contractor must send Bonchon the construction schedule at least one week before work begins. After completion, the architect and contractor provide required as-built compliance certifications, and Bonchon may require corrections to match approved plans. Bonchon’s support page markets development assistance, but the Franchise Agreement leaves funding, permits, construction, and local legal compliance with the franchisee.

The General Manager and a second full-time Manager must complete Initial Training before opening. A full-time on-site owner or Operating Principal is treated as the General Manager and must complete Initial Training; a non-on-site owner or Operating Principal may complete Initial Training or Partner Training, while the Restaurant still needs two fully trained full-time managers.

Initial Training attendees need the Bonchon-approved nationally accredited food-manager certification and applicable local food-handling credentials before attendance; Franchise Agreement §7.02 says Partner Training does not require that certification. All attendees sign the Trainee Waiver before training. Training occurs after the Restaurant Location is obtained, no earlier than two months before opening, and class availability is first come, first served.

Before opening a third Bonchon Business, the operator must designate an Area Manager who is approved for the role, certified for multi-unit management, and has completed the required food-manager certification and Initial Training. The Area Manager may not hold another position in the operator’s organization while serving in that role.

Franchise Agreement §8.01 makes written opening approval a separate gate. The franchisee must submit an opening request, satisfy pre-opening obligations, pass the pre-opening inspection, and remain current with Bonchon, affiliates, the landlord, principal vendors, suppliers, and business creditors. Construction completion and training completion alone do not authorize opening.

An Area Development Agreement covers two or more Bonchon Businesses and adds a Development Territory plus a negotiated Development Schedule with unit-specific lease and commencement-of-operations dates. The FDD publishes no universal schedule. Each Restaurant still needs its own Franchise Agreement and unit-level site, lease, design, training, supplier, inspection, and opening approvals.

Missing a Development Schedule deadline can terminate the Area Development Agreement, eliminate undeveloped rights, and forfeit the fee attributable to undeveloped units; compliant agreements for already operating units may remain. The 2026 FDD also describes a three-or-more-unit incentive requiring applicable riders, an Area Development Agreement by December 31, 2026, and timely opening by each Scheduled Opening Date. It does not extend the Development Schedule.

Before signing, verify the Restaurant Concept, ownership structure, applicable financial tier, Site Selection Area, governing agreement, and Scheduled Opening Date in Exhibit A. Before committing to a lease or construction schedule, verify the lease rider, landlord conditions, AOR and AGC, local permit sequence, utilities, insurance lead times, vendor onboarding, and training availability. Remote Kitchen operators should also confirm lease-specific insurance, technology, and occupancy requirements.

Use the current and former franchisee contacts in Item 20 and Exhibit M to ask how long site approval, lease negotiation, permitting, construction, training scheduling, supplier onboarding, and opening inspection took in comparable markets. Those experiences can test the practical sequence without becoming promised timelines.