Korean fried chicken franchise bb.q Chicken opened its first Arkansas location on Tuesday in the former David’s Burgers space at 101 S. Bowman Road.
Franchise operator Han Cho said the restaurant was so busy yesterday they ran out of almost everything and had to close early.
Not to be confused with Korean barbecue, “bb.q” stands for “Best of the Best Quality.” The restaurant was established in South Korea in 1995 and expanded into the U.S. market in 2014. It is currently operating more than 160 locations in the U.S., according to its website.
Cho grew up in South Korea and said he and his family used to eat bb.q Chicken about once a week when he was in middle school and high school. He recommends ordering the chicken with the restaurant’s Secret Sauce, which he described as sweet and tangy.
The menu offers both bone-in and boneless wings, as well as whole chicken with flavors such as Gang-Jeong, a spicy soy-based sauce; Gangnam, a black pepper sauce; and Galbi, which the menu describes as a Korean classic that’s sweet, savory and smoky.
The menu also includes Kimchi Fried Rice and Ddeok-Bokki, a Korean street food made from rice cakes and fish cakes in a sweet and spicy chili reduction.
Cho said the restaurant will carry 14 beers on tap and 10 beer selections in bottles. The restaurant also features two private karaoke rooms guests can rent by the hour.
Initially, Cho said the restaurant will likely close between the hours of 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to gear up for the evening shift, and added they might close around 9:30 p.m. Once they get their footing, though, the hours of operation will be 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.-Thu. And 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
