GEN Restaurant Group has entered into a distribution agreement with United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), one of North America's largest broadline natural and specialty food distributors, according to an announcement dated June 10, 2026. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The agreement positions UNFI as a key supply-chain partner for GEN, the publicly traded Korean barbecue chain whose all-you-can-eat format leans heavily on marinated proteins — including shrimp, squid, and shellfish preparations served alongside terrestrial cuts. No specific volume commitments or SKU counts were named in the release.
For the seafood supply chain, the deal is notable because Korean BBQ concepts typically source a mix of wild-caught and farm-raised head-on shrimp, IQF squid rings, and value-added marinated shellfish, all of which require cold-chain consistency that a national broadline distributor like UNFI can provide. Traceability requirements at the restaurant level are increasingly pushing operators toward distributors capable of supporting BAP-certified and MSC-certified sourcing documentation across multiple protein categories.
GEN operates dozens of locations across the United States and has been expanding its footprint since going public. The chain's seafood component, while secondary to beef and pork on its rotating grill menu, represents a recurring procurement line that benefits from consolidated distribution. Centralized purchasing through a single broadline partner can reduce landed cost variability — a pressure point as ex-vessel values for Gulf shrimp and imported Pacific squid have remained volatile through early 2026.
UNFI's existing network serves independent retailers, natural grocery chains, and foodservice operators, giving GEN access to a distribution infrastructure that spans ambient, refrigerated, and frozen categories. That breadth matters for a concept that moves both shelf-stable marinades and frozen seafood proteins through the same back-of-house workflow. Industry observers note that as Korean BBQ and Asian-inspired seafood formats expand, distribution consolidation is becoming a competitive lever for chains managing multi-protein menus at scale.
Neither company provided commentary on how the agreement affects GEN's existing supplier relationships or whether UNFI will handle primary seafood procurement directly. Further detail on the supply-chain structure for emerging restaurant seafood programs is expected as GEN files its next quarterly disclosure. Crabs Blue will update this report as additional terms become available.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.