A South Korean fried chicken chain has landed its first Pennsylvania outpost in Elkins Park, setting up shop at Yorktown Plaza. bhc Chicken held its grand opening on October 19, bringing its Ppuringkle and Matzzoking flavors to the Philadelphia suburbs for the first time.
The roughly 165-square-meter restaurant marks bhc's first Pennsylvania location, according to businesskorea.co.kr, which also described the Elkins Park opening as the brand's 11th store in the United States. As Glenside Local reports, the name bhc stands for Better & Happier Choice, and the chain has built a following overseas for its cheesy, sweet-and-savory Bburinkle seasoning and its crispy Matzzoking preparation, both of which now headline the Elkins Park menu.
Beyond the signature fried chicken, the Yorktown Plaza menu includes combo platters pairing wings and tenders, plus a shareable option that combines chicken with cheese balls in a single order. The store also serves tteokbokki, the chewy rice cake dish common in Korean street food, along with kimchi fried rice. Diners can choose among eight different dipping sauces, per the same businesskorea.co.kr report.
A Rapid U.S. Expansion
The Elkins Park opening fits into a fast-moving U.S. growth push for bhc. The chain has secured seven new U.S. locations so far this year alone, the outlet's report notes. That pace follows a 2024 pledge from the company, when it told Yonhap News Agency it planned to open eight U.S. stores that year as part of its expansion strategy, after earning 535.6 billion won in 2023 sales, up 5.5 percent from the year before.
Bhc's American footprint traces back to February of the year before that 2024 report, when it opened its first U.S. outlet in Los Angeles, Yonhap reported at the time. By May 2024, the chain operated 15 overseas outlets across the United States, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.
Exactly how many U.S. locations bhc now runs depends on which account you read. BusinessKorea put the Elkins Park store at number 11 nationally, while ARLnow has described the chain as having at least seven U.S. locations and The Burn reported 10 U.S. locations according to the company's own website. The Korea Times, meanwhile, characterized a Georgia opening as the chain's seventh U.S. store since it entered the market in 2023, and separately noted that bhc operates 44 locations across eight countries worldwide. ARLnow has also cited a company figure of more than 2,300 locations globally.
Other Recent Openings Nearby
Elkins Park isn't the only new market bhc has broken into recently. The chain opened its first D.C.-area location in Ballston at 875 N. Randolph Street, a roughly 32-seat restaurant that gave away three free chicken tenders to its first 100 guests through the following Sunday, according to ARLnow.com.
In Georgia, bhc opened its first location in Gwinnett County, a roughly 258-square-meter restaurant seating 80 people, per The Korea Times. That location's menu leans into heartier fare, including half- and whole-bird options, instant noodles, fish cake soup and cheese fire chicken alongside the usual wings and tenders.
Closer to the mid-Atlantic, bhc is also eyeing a new spot at 13960 Metrotech Drive in Chantilly, Virginia, in a space formerly occupied by fellow Korean restaurant Sirok, according to The Burn. The company promotes its U.S. growth on Instagram as well, where its account describes itself as home of the iconic Bburinkle seasoning and says it is now expanding across the U.S.
Hours at the New Elkins Park Location
The Yorktown Plaza store is open daily from 11 am to 7:30 pm, seven days a week, Monday through Sunday. bhc maintains a website and an Instagram page for customers looking to check menu details or future promotions ahead of a visit.
