"Fine" Dining

Korean BBQ's Fascinating History and the Rise of Gen KBBQ House

May 13, 2026ยท45 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

๐Ÿฅฉ๐Ÿ”ฅ Gen Korean BBQ House: Meat Deets, Costco Gift Cards, and KBBQ History ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿฅฉ This week, Jon Durnell (@jon024durnell) joins me to break down the history of Gen Korean BBQ House, one of the fastest-growing Korean BBQ chains in America. From SoCal beginnings to a nationwide expansion strategy powered in part by Costco gift cards, Gen's rise is surprisingly fascinating. Plus, we debut a brand-new segment called Meat Deets, where we dig into the broader history of Korean BBQ itself. ๐Ÿฅฉ Gen's California Origins and Expansion to Nearly 60 Locations ๐Ÿ›’ The Surprisingly Effective Costco Gift Card Strategy ๐Ÿค The Founders Were in a Proverbial Commonlaw Marriage ๐Ÿ”ฅ MEAT DEETS: The Centuries-Long History of Korean BBQ ๐ŸŒŽ Why Los Angeles Koreatown Became America's KBBQ Capital ๐Ÿ– The "LA Style" of Galbi That Korea Adopted Back ๐Ÿฅฌ How Korea Perfected Pickling Before Mastering Meat ๐Ÿ”ฅ The Heat Lamp: Jon Declares IHOP A Superior Fighting Arena Than Waffle House ๐Ÿ“ž Yelp from Strangers: A Furious Late-Night Wake-Up Call from Gen Management ๐Ÿ’ฌ COMMENT BELOW: Is LA the true capital of Korean BBQ outside Korea itself? ๐Ÿ“ข SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY: ๐ŸŽ‰ Patreon (Bonus episodes, extended Yelp segments & more): patreon.com/finediningpodcast ๐Ÿ’ฌ Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4 ๐ŸŽฅ Watch full episodes: youtube.com/channel/UCLbraNhL6KhDPkdSWt2yiuw ๐Ÿ”— All links: linktree.com/finediningpodcast ๐ŸŽค Guest: Jon Durnell | IG: @jon024durnell Patreon Producers:Sue Ornelas, Joyce Van, & Robert McLaughlin Patreon Subscribers:David Ornelas, Kellie Baldwin, Jeremy Horwitz, Herbert Amaya, Simone Davalos, Scott Bennett, Amy Reinhart, Josef Castaneda-Liles, & Travis Langley Free Patreon Followers:Joe Warszalek, Lauren Cummings, Grace Krainak, Keri Estes, Robert Duran, Patrick Elliott, Michelle Elmer, Dave Plummer, Nicholas Volney, Michael Gerard, Tracy Molino, Phuong Duong, Tyler Robinson, Brandon Gully, Mason Cruz, Michael Milito, Mez, Aaron Hubbard, Steff, Jewell Hermann, Renae Michael, Crystal C. ๐Ÿ‘‰ NEXT WEEK: We head to Gen Korean BBQ House to review the food and put it to the Chili's Test.

Podzilla Summary coming soon

Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.

Get Free Summaries โ†’

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of "Fine" Dining and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries โ†’

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.