Dookki Franchise Cost: Korea Startup Fees & Overseas Model (2026)
Dookki is a self-serve tteokbokki buffet franchise operated by Dareun Co. from its headquarters in Seongnam, South Korea. Founded in 2014 and franchising since 2015, the brand lets diners cook unlimited rice cakes, fried foods, noodles, fried rice, and desserts at their own table for a flat price, and runs halal and meat-free sauce lines built specifically for export markets [1]. Dookki reports 444 stores across 13 countries — 245 in Korea and 199 overseas — and expands abroad exclusively through master-franchise partnerships [1]. Its franchise costs are published for the Korean market through official startup materials and the KFTC disclosure registry; this guide lays out those Korean figures and explains why they are not the price of opening a Dookki outside Korea.
Dookki at a glance
- Founded 2014; franchising since 2015; operated by Dareun Co., headquartered in Seongnam [1]
- 444 stores across 13 countries — 245 in Korea, 199 overseas [1]
- Self-serve, all-you-can-cook tteokbokki buffet, with halal and meat-free sauce lines for export markets [1]
- Overseas growth is exclusively master-franchise; Vietnam is the largest overseas market at 161 stores [1]
Korea franchise costs
In Korea, Dookki quotes its costs for a 30-pyeong reference store and discloses them both on the company's official startup cost table and through the KFTC's mandatory information disclosure system (정보공개서).
The initial franchise fee is ₩20,000,000, quoted VAT-excluded for a 30-pyeong store [2]. On the official startup table, the total startup cost for that store comes to ₩167,000,000, also VAT-excluded [2]. The KFTC disclosure summarized in a 2023 brand report lists a higher total of ₩185,000,000 on a VAT-inclusive basis [3] — so the two totals differ mainly because of VAT treatment and the exact package of items counted, not because of store size.
Crucially, the official total excludes several items billed separately: a refundable ₩5,000,000 deposit and the demolition, electrical, fire, gas, and exterior works [2], plus the premises deposit and key money (권리금) that every Korean storefront carries. For ongoing fees, the KFTC-based report indicates no royalty — a 0% ongoing royalty for domestic franchisees [3].
| Cost item | Korea (30-pyeong reference store) |
|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | ₩20,000,000 (VAT excl.) [2] |
| Total startup — official table | ₩167,000,000 (VAT excl.) [2] |
| Total startup — KFTC disclosure | ₩185,000,000 (VAT-incl. basis) [3] |
| Ongoing royalty | 0% [3] |
How to read these numbers
These are Korean registry figures for a 30-pyeong domestic store — they are not the cost of opening a Dookki abroad.
- Two totals, two bases. Read ₩167,000,000 and ₩185,000,000 as the same store viewed under different VAT treatment and item scope, not as a small-to-large size range [2][3]. Neither figure includes the premises deposit or key money, and the official total also excludes the refundable ₩5,000,000 deposit and the demolition, electrical, fire, gas, and exterior works billed on top [2].
- Overseas is a different model. Dookki expands outside Korea only through master franchise, so a partner in Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, Australia, or the US negotiates territory-level terms case by case [1]. Those figures are not published and cannot be derived from the Korean startup numbers — local rent, build-out, import logistics, and the master-franchise agreement itself all reset the math.
- Convert the currency yourself. The published figures are in Korean won; apply current exchange rates rather than any conversion quoted elsewhere.
Expanding Dookki abroad
Dookki's international footprint is built market by market through master-franchise partners rather than direct company stores [1]. Its Vietnam partner, on board since 2017, has grown to 161 stores — the brand's largest overseas market — and a US master franchise covers New York, New Jersey, and Virginia [1]. The company frames Southeast Asia as its core region (Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia) alongside Taiwan, Australia, and the US, and it remains open to new country or regional corporate partners [1]. Because each of these is a negotiated master-franchise arrangement, prospective partners should treat the Korean cost table as background on the brand's home-market economics, not as a quote for their own territory.
How to verify
Before committing to anything, confirm each figure directly at the source: pull Dookki's current 정보공개서 from the KFTC franchise disclosure system and compare it against the official startup cost table on the company's site [1][2]. Third-party summaries — including this guide — can lag the latest filing, and the only binding numbers are those in the disclosure document and the franchise agreement you are actually offered.
Figures are historical, come from the named source, and are not a promise or projection of your results. Costs and outcomes vary by market, site and operator.
Sources
- Dookki official startup site — store counts, overseas markets, and master-franchise model
- Official Dookki startup cost table, 30-pyeong (VAT excluded); refundable deposit and demolition/electrical/fire/gas/exterior works listed separately
- KFTC franchise disclosure (정보공개서), 30-pyeong VAT-inclusive-basis total, via Buza.biz brand report (2023); no ongoing royalty for domestic franchisees
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This website is not an offer to sell a franchise. We are an independent consultancy, not a franchisor, and we do not offer or sell franchises. A franchise is offered only through the franchisor's own disclosure document in jurisdictions where such documents are required. Investment figures are compiled from the named public sources; costs and results vary.