Bibibop Asian Grill
{{short description|American Asian restaurant chain}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Bibibop Asian Grill
| image = Bibibop Asian Grill - Silver Spring.jpg
| image_caption = Bibibop Asian Grill in Silver Spring, Maryland in 2023
| type = Private
| industry = Restaurants
| founded = {{Start date and age|2013}}
| founder = Charley Shin
| hq_location = {{nowrap|Columbus, Ohio, U.S.}}
| locations = 74 (2025)
| area_served = {{unbulleted list|United States}}
| key_people = {{unbulleted list | Charley Shin (owner and CEO){{Cite news|title =We tried Bibibop’s 9 new menu items, you should too|url =https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2025/01/we-tried-bibibops-9-new-menu-items-you-should-too.html|newspaper=Cleveland.com|date =8 January 2025}} | Chris Artinian (president and COO)}}
| products = {{flatlist|
- Rice bowls
}}
| website = {{url|bibibop.com}}
}}
Bibibop Asian Grill, also known as Bibibop, is an American fast casual restaurant chain specializing in customizable Korean rice bowls. As of 2025, it has 74 locations. Its name derives from bibimbap, a Korean rice dish made with seasoned vegetables, chili pepper paste, and sometimes egg and meat.{{Cite news|title =Bibibop to open sixth Cincinnati-area location in Rookwood Exchange in Norwood|url =https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/06/10/bibibop-asian-food-open-rookwood-exchange-norwood.html?utm_source=sy&utm_medium=ptr&utm_campaign=local12|newspaper=Cincinnati Business Courier|date =10 June 2024}}{{Cite news|title =BIBIBOP opens pop-up shop in Downtown, offering workers healthier food|url =https://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/dining/2025/02/05/bibibop-asian-grill-opens-new-pop-up-shop-hexion-building-dowtown-columbus-ohio/78207193007/|newspaper=The Columbus Dispatch|date =11 February 2025}}
File:Veggie_bowl.jpg at Bibibop]]
Bibibop has been described as "an Asian take on Chipotle." It was founded in 2013 in Columbus, Ohio by Korean American entrepreneur Charley Shin, the founder of Charleys Cheesesteaks.{{Cite news|title =This Entrepreneur Is Quietly Building Out An Asian Take On Chipotle|url =https://www.forbes.com/sites/gracechung/2017/12/19/this-entrepreneur-is-quietly-building-out-an-asian-take-on-chipotle/|newspaper=Forbes|date =19 December 2017}}
History
Shin, who had worked with his mother at her restaurants and was also inspired by his mother's cooking,{{cite web|url=https://www.mashed.com/825383/the-untold-truth-of-bibibop/|title=The Untold Truth Of Bibibop|last=Coburn|first=Crysta|publisher=Mashed|date=April 7, 2022|access-date=March 22, 2025}} thought of the concept after praying. A week after, real estate developer Herb Glimcher offered Shin a deal on two real estate properties. Afterwards, an executive at Shin's company suggested creating an Asian fast-food concept. With a group of people, including his sister Chung Choe and her daughter, they toured Asian-inspired restaurants in the Washington D.C. area and decided to create a restaurant chain inspired by Korean cuisine.{{cite web|url=https://www.columbusmonthly.com/story/lifestyle/food/2015/12/03/behind-fast-casual-chain-bibibop/22801711007/|title=Behind fast-casual chain Bibibop's healthy growth|last=|first=|publisher=Columbus Monthly|date=December 2, 2015|access-date=March 22, 2025}} The first location opened in Grandview Heights, Ohio in 2013. The stores are entirely corporate owned.{{cite web|url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/dining/2024/04/23/charley-shin-built-charleys-cheesteaks-bibibop-into-nationwide-chains/72174017007/|title=Charleys Cheesesteaks founder Charley Shin started small, but found success in Columbus|last=Vitale|first=Bob|publisher=The Columbus Dispatch|date=April 23, 2024|access-date=March 22, 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.qsrmagazine.com/growth/emerging-concepts/why-bibibop-asian-grill-one-watch/|title=Why Bibibop Asian Grill is One to Watch|last=Dixon|first=Alex|publisher=QSR Magazine|date=December 19, 2016|access-date=March 22, 2025}}
In 2017, the chain was named one of the five Hot Concepts for that year by Nation's Restaurant News. The chain has been described as part of the rise in restaurant chains and brands that serve Korean cuisine in the United States, including other concepts such as Bibigo and Seoul Taco.{{cite web|url=https://www.columbusmonthly.com/story/lifestyle/2018/01/23/who-s-next-charley-shin/16022902007/|title=Who's Next: Charley Shin, founder and CEO of Bibibop Asian Grill|last=Ghose|first=Dave|publisher=Columbus Monthly|date=January 23, 2018|access-date=March 22, 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.qsrmagazine.com/growth/emerging-concepts/why-bibibop-asian-grill-one-watch/|title=Inside the Rise of Korean Cuisine|last=Zolman|first=Laura|publisher=QSR Magazine|date=April 11, 2019|access-date=March 22, 2025}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Fast-food chains of the United States}}
{{Restaurants in Columbus, Ohio}}
{{Restaurants in Ohio}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bibibop Asian Grill}}
Category:2013 establishments in Ohio
Category:Korean restaurants in the United States
Category:Asian-American culture in Ohio
Category:Fast casual restaurants
Category:Restaurant chains in the United States
Category:Companies based in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area