[Interview] Former Minor League Pitcher Turned Kyochon Owner: "Achieved My Dream and Boosted Sales"

Cho Gwanghun, Owner of Kyochon Chicken Unnam No. 1 Branch
Former KIA Tigers Second Team Pitcher
Early Retirement Led to Concerns About Livelihood... Decision to Start His Own Business
Ceremonial First Pitch at 'Kyochon 1991 Brand Day'
200 Customers Invited to Watch the Game as a Group

On July 24, at the Gwangju Kia Champions Field, the KBO League game between the KIA Tigers and the LG Twins took place. Cho Gwanghun, the owner of the Kyochon Chicken Unnam No. 1 branch, took the mound for the ceremonial first pitch, nervously fiddling with the baseball. Cho is a former KIA Tigers second team pitcher and has been running his Kyochon franchise for five years since 2021. Through the 'Kyochon 1991 Brand Day' event, he was able to fulfill his dream of stepping onto the first-team mound, an opportunity he never had during his playing career.

Cho said, "There are over 1,300 Kyochon franchises nationwide, so I felt a lot of pressure, wondering if I was the right person to throw the first pitch. But it was my childhood dream, and I thought I might never get another chance like this, so I went for it. My heart was pounding all over again," he added.

At the KIA Tigers and LG Twins game held on the 24th at Gwangju Kia Champions Field, Ko Kwanghoon, owner of Kyochon Chicken Unnam 1st Branch, threw the ceremonial first pitch. Photo by Han Yeju

Cho joined the KIA Tigers in 2008 as a university-graduate registered player. A registered player refers to someone who was not drafted by a professional team and is not registered as a player with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), but is simply listed as a potential player. After just one year, he left the team and gave up baseball, which he had considered his lifelong career. He said that instead of regret, he was more afraid of how he would make a living. "After quitting baseball, I worked in security companies, factories, advertising film companies?there was nothing I didn't try," he explained. "For 10 years, I worked in various places, but I didn't have any particular skills and felt the limitations of being the sole breadwinner, so I started to consider running my own business."

That was when he crossed paths with Kyochon. Cho did not choose Kyochon from the beginning. "I looked into not only other chicken brands but also franchises in other industries and self-employment in general," he said. "There was no other company that offered such large territories to franchisees or treated owners as fairly as Kyochon did."

Currently, Kyochon has 1,359 stores nationwide, fewer than its competitors like BBQ or bhc, which each operate about 2,200 stores. However, Kyochon leads in average sales per franchise, with 730 million won per store, surpassing BBQ and bhc, which average around 400 to 500 million won.

On the 24th, Jo Gwanghoon, owner of Kyochon Chicken Unnam 1st Branch, who threw the ceremonial first pitch at the game between the KIA Tigers and LG Twins held at Gwangju KIA Champions Field. Provided by KIA Tigers

Recently, the popularity of professional baseball has also had a positive impact on sales. Cho's store is a 50-square-meter (about 15 pyeong) delivery-only location, and when baseball games are held in Gwangju, takeout demand increases by more than 30% on weekends.

Kyochon is also actively engaging in baseball marketing. Prior to this Brand Day event, from June 26 for two weeks, Kyochon offered game tickets through a raffle to customers who purchased the KIA Tigers Brand Day Sets?Tiger Set (Mara Red Wing Box and Twisted Bread Sticks) and Strongest Set (Half Fried, Half Seasoned Chicken and Fondue Cheese Balls)?via the app, as well as to those who participated in the purchase verification event on Kyochon Chicken's official social media. Cho emphasized, "During the event period, orders through our app nearly doubled. Baseball marketing is clearly boosting our sales."

'Kyochon Chicken Box Stacking' event held during the mid-game cleaning time on the 24th in Gyeonggi. Photo by Han Yeju

On the day of the game, 200 customers who had won the Kyochon Brand Day event attended as a group. Kyochon provided the invited guests with 'Kyochon X KIA Tigers' merchandise and popcorn, and hosted various on-site events such as photo zones and event booths. A pitching experience event was held, offering prizes like chicken gift certificates and cheering towels based on the speed of the pitch, adding to the excitement at the venue. Additionally, the winner of the 'Kyochon Chicken Box Stacking' event, held during cleaning time, received a 'Kyochon Chicken One-Month Pass' (one chicken per day, 30 coupons for Honey Chicken).

A Kyochon Chicken representative said, "It was a meaningful event that allowed us to naturally connect with baseball fans through the heartfelt story of a franchise owner. We will continue to bring joy to our customers' daily lives through various sports marketing initiatives."