Leading Rice Bowl Chain Poised to Accelerate Brand Momentum in 2025 and Beyond
Anaheim Hills, CA (RestaurantNews.com) WaBa Grill, an LA-original rice bowl chain known for its Asian-inspired menu, proudly reports an impressive 2024, driven by new restaurants in critical markets, robust development activities, encouraging sales data and menu innovations that delighted guests. The brand’s top 25% of locations surpassed an AUV of $1.27 million, with the top 50% exceeding $1.1 million. Both subsets posted year-over-year growth of more than 2%. WaBa Grill recorded a 5.3% increase in Q4 same-store sales to round out 2024, underscoring the brand’s continued success in delivering fresh, flavorful and better-for-you options at an exceptional value. The popular chain’s ability to scale its footprint while maintaining high-quality standards, and capitalize on emerging trends in the fast-casual space, positions WaBa Grill for sustained growth in the year ahead and further cements its standing as a segment leader.
“We are immensely proud of the significant strides we made last year, from entering new markets to enhancing franchisee relationships and exceeding our menu innovation goals,” said Andrew Kim, President & CEO of WaBa Grill. “At WaBa Grill, our mission has always been to provide guests with a welcoming space to enjoy flavorful, affordable meals and our 2024 accomplishments would not have been possible without the unwavering dedication of our franchise partners and corporate team, whose commitment to exceptional brand quality and guest service continues to drive our success.”
Franchise momentum and expansion played key roles in helping to fuel WaBa Grill’s impressive 2024, with the brand adding a dozen locations to its development pipeline and inking an area development deal in Alameda County, California. As the demand for healthy fast casual dining options increases nationwide, WaBa Grill entered several markets for the first time. Debuts for the brand in Henderson, Nevada, and Dallas, Texas, expanded the WaBa Grill footprint and strengthened its position as the region’s leading rice bowl chain. WaBa Grill now proudly operates in four key Western states.
The brand also added to its sizeable California restaurant count last year with a market entry in Fresno – the first of 30 restaurants planned for the state’s rapidly growing Central Valley. Long known for its healthy bowls and commitment to making them available to more guests, WaBa Grill is expected to open several locations in 2025 and is on pace to surpass the 200-restaurant milestone in 2026 – a testament to a long history of strategic expansion initiatives that meet the growing popularity of healthy dining options.
2024 also was marked by significant menu expansion and an array of innovations that elevated sales and delighted customers. Key launches included Boom Boom Way Veggie Bowls, Kids Eat Free, Thai Tea, WaBlaze Sauce and Ube Royale Cheesecake. Building on the success of its most popular product launch to date — Boom Boom Tacos — the brand introduced Boom Boom Way Veggie Bowls, which quickly became a fan favorite with 600,000+ bowls sold. Demonstrating its commitment to value, WaBa Grill also rolled out the highly successful Kids Eat Free initiative, offering busy parents a budget-friendly solution for healthy, quick meals. The campaign included a free Mini Chicken or Tofu Bowl with any entrée purchase and accounted for nearly 120,000 redemptions during its run. One of WaBa Grill’s most exciting 2024 menu introductions was WaBlaze Sauce, a fiery new condiment that joined an existing lineup of beloved sauces, including the brand’s signature WaBa Sauce, plus the flavorful Boom Boom, Sweet Chili and Garlic Serrano Sauces. WaBlaze Sauce became an instant hit, selling out twice shortly after its release and generating an impressive 4 million packet uses.
Alongside a multitude of 2024 guest-facing enhancements, WaBa Grill developed and implemented several internal initiatives last year to further bolster its reputation as an exceptional workplace. The company launched the inaugural Women @ WaBa program, a companywide effort to foster professional growth and empower female employees across corporate and field operations. The program will continue to provide a supportive space for women to engage in meaningful discussions and explore various aspects of career development. WaBa Grill also continued its BKE Scholarship program, named after founders Brian Ham, Kyle Lee and Eric Lee, to support employees — corporate and franchise team members — and their families in pursuing higher education. In total, WaBa Grill awarded $60,000 in scholarships to 30 deserving recipients, who individually received $2,000 to apply toward college or vocational school. Additionally, WaBa Grill conducted an internal search for its top ‘grill masters.’ More than 200 cooks competed in a multi-round, 198-point evaluation to earn the coveted Grill Master title. WaBa awarded more than $4,000 in cash prizes to nine of its most talented cooks who demonstrated an exemplary understanding of WaBa Grill’s food preparation, cooking and sanitary practices.
For its countless achievements and successes, WaBa Grill was honored throughout 2024 with numerous prestigious industry accolades. The brand was named a top-35 brand on Fast Casual’s 2024 Top 100 Movers & Shakers list for the second consecutive year. WaBa Grill also was recognized as part of the Franchise Times Top 400 at #266, and the brand appeared on Restaurant Business’ Top 500 Restaurant Chains at #232. Lastly, WaBa Grill was celebrated as part of QSR’s 2024 Best Brands to Work For, a definitive list of companies dedicated to their employees. The prominent feature illustrated the importance of a thriving workforce to restaurant industry success.
The nearly 200-unit brand is primed to continue expansion, having identified key markets throughout the western U.S., and is seeking franchise partners interested in expanding their portfolios with an established healthy fast casual brand on the rise. For more details about partnering with WaBa Grill, visit WaBaGrill.com/franchise.
About WaBa Grill
WaBa Grill was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 2006 on the principle that better-for-you food made with quality, Asian-inspired ingredients should be accessible to all. With a goal of serving the best possible food on the go, WaBa’s famous rice bowls, plates and salads are made with fresh vegetables, healthy grains and high-quality proteins including fresh, never frozen chicken, marinated ribeye steak, wild-caught salmon, succulent shrimp, plant-based steak and organic tofu, all prepared to order on an open-fire grill and customized with a variety of flavorful, complex sauces including the fan-favorite WaBa Sauce. Learn more at WaBaGrill.com.
WaBa Grill Social Media Pages
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wabagrillofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wabagrill/
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Media Contact:
Selena Lane
Powerhouse+Co.
selena@powerhouseandco.com
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