Bonchon Plans ION Orchard Opening in Singapore This November

Minor Food is preparing to open Bonchon at Singapore’s ION Orchard in November 2026, placing the brand’s next market move within a broader expansion plan centred on franchise partners. The planned opening follows Bonchon’s first Malaysian outlet in August and would make Singapore the brand’s tenth market, according to an October report by Thailand’s Manager Online.

Singapore follows Malaysia in Bonchon’s expansion

The Singapore opening was outlined in Manager Online’s 28 October report on Minor Food’s development strategy. ION Orchard is the identified location, with November given as the planned opening month.

The move follows a relatively short interval after Bonchon’s Malaysian launch in August 2026. Minor Food is positioning the brand as a lead vehicle for international growth, while pursuing discussions with prospective partners in Asia, the Middle East and other markets it regards as having strong growth potential.

For Singapore’s franchise community, the significance extends beyond another restaurant opening. Bonchon is being used to initiate conversations with partners who could subsequently consider investing in other brands in Minor Food’s portfolio. The Singapore plan therefore sits within a wider approach to developing relationships across multiple markets and restaurant concepts.

The November timing remains a planned opening rather than confirmation that the restaurant is already trading.

A larger franchise network is the goal

Minor Food’s chief business development officer outlined a group network of more than 3,000 restaurants across 27 countries, covering more than 40 brands. Approximately half of those restaurants, or around 1,500 outlets, are franchised.

Those figures follow the inclusion of Bonchon’s network in August. Before that addition, Minor Food’s network stood at approximately 2,700–2,800 restaurants, according to the report.

The group is targeting 4,500 food and beverage outlets by 2029, an increase of approximately 1,500 over three years. Its stated expansion pace averages around 500 additional outlets annually across the network.

Franchising is expected to account for a greater share of that growth. Minor Food aims to increase its franchised estate from around 1,500 outlets to between 2,400 and 2,500 over the same period. It described a target franchise share of approximately 54–55 per cent, compared with around 50 per cent currently.

These are group-wide ambitions, not targets for Singapore or Bonchon alone. They nevertheless provide the context for the planned ION Orchard opening: Minor Food is seeking a larger network while placing greater emphasis on partner-led expansion.

Bonchon opens the conversation with partners

Minor Food’s rationale for prioritising Bonchon includes the popularity of Korean culture, which it sees as support for further international growth. Its approach is to use interest in Bonchon to begin discussions before presenting other portfolio brands for potential investment.

The company is also considering international opportunities for beverage brand GAGA, highlighting its brand identity and shop design. The Pizza Company and Sizzler are among the other brands being considered for selected markets.

However, the strategy is not to offer an identical brand mix everywhere. Minor Food said brand selection would reflect consumer suitability and competitive conditions in each country.

That distinction matters when interpreting the Singapore announcement. The confirmed plan described in the report concerns Bonchon at ION Orchard; the wider discussion of portfolio brands should not be read as a Singapore launch announcement for those other concepts.

What the plan means for prospective partners

Minor Food links its increased emphasis on franchising to limiting its own capital commitments and advancing an asset-light strategy. Its growth ambitions therefore involve both additional restaurants and a shift in how more of those restaurants are developed.

For prospective partners, the useful distinction is between a named opening and a broader expansion ambition. Bonchon has a specified Singapore location and planned month, while the larger franchise targets apply across Minor Food’s international network.

Practical takeaway: Singapore franchise operators assessing this development should distinguish the ION Orchard opening plan from the group’s wider targets, and verify local partnership arrangements directly before treating the announcement as an investment opportunity.