Waiting in Line for 1.5 Hours to Score Mart Chicken... "So, Is It Worth Eating?" [Kim Yuri's Hipple Hot Item]

Homeplus 'Dangdang Chicken' at 5,990 won on Malbok
Queue up to 100 people... Purchased after a long wait
Basic fried chicken with 'salt + pepper' dipping doubles the flavor
If cold, reheating in an air fryer makes it taste 'freshly fried'
Too much for one, not enough for two... Save money but spend time and energy

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] "Excuse me, is this the line for that chicken?"

Recently, the large supermarket chicken at the center of attention is Homeplus’s ‘Dangdang Chicken’. With a shocking price of 6,990 won for one whole fried chicken, it has been gaining popularity. On the 15th, Malbok (the last of the three hottest days in summer), there was news that it could be purchased even cheaper at 5,990 won, so I decided to stop by the supermarket while I was out. I had heard that the previous promotional item, ‘Two Chickens’, had its waiting list filled 30 to 40 minutes before release, so I arrived at the store about an hour and a half earlier than the event start time of 3 p.m. to have a more relaxed visit and take care of other errands.

However, as soon as I arrived, I realized that expressions like ‘while I was at it’ and ‘much more relaxed’ did not fit this situation at all. At 1:30 p.m., in front of the deli corner at Homeplus Worldcom branch in Mapo-gu, Seoul, there was already a waiting line of more than 40 people. While I was surprised, the line kept growing longer behind me. For this store, the Dangdang Chicken was released at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m., but on this Malbok day, people waiting for the 2 p.m. release and those waiting for the additional 1,000 won discount sale at 3 p.m. all gathered at once.

Just before 2 p.m., a kitchen staff member came out and counted the number of people from the front. "20 people up to here will receive the 2 p.m. chicken, and 30 people up to here will receive the 3 p.m. chicken at the event price with an additional 1,000 won discount." When I confirmed that I was included among the 30 people for the 3 p.m. chicken, I sighed with relief. About 100 people were lined up, and those further back had to wait another hour for the 4 p.m. chicken. I thought they would give up and leave, but they did not. I asked why they were waiting while sharing small details like the chicken release times and quantities with those in line. The answer was, "Because it’s Malbok, we wanted to try it once."

After waiting for an hour and a half leaning on the cart while fiddling with my phone, the kitchen staff kindly announced, "Thank you for waiting, we’re sorry we can’t serve faster, please enjoy your chicken." I carefully placed the Dangdang Chicken I received into my cart and headed home, too tired to think about other errands.

I immediately tasted the hard-earned chicken. To conclude, it was ‘edible’. Since they released 20 to 30 chickens at a time and there was time to bring them home, the chicken was lukewarm, but my first reaction was, "Not bad?" According to information shared online, reheating it in an air fryer makes it feel like freshly fried chicken, but I thought it was fine as is, so I didn’t reheat it further. It tasted like ‘the basic fried chicken I usually eat, just a bit cold.’

Pickled radish and sauce had to be purchased separately. After one bite, I took out the 690 won pickled radish I had put in the cart while waiting and also grabbed some cola from the fridge. I remembered hearing that ‘it tastes good dipped in salt mixed with pepper,’ so I made a ‘salt + pepper’ mix as well. While watching a drama and eating, the chicken was soon gone. Sometimes fried chicken can feel greasy and make you stop eating halfway, but that wasn’t the case this time. The ‘Potato Pops’ mixed in provided a different taste and texture that helped. The amount felt like too much for one person but somewhat insufficient for two, depending on the person.

Overall, putting price aside, the taste was not bad, but the waiting time was too long, requiring excessive time and energy to purchase. I recommend this to those who want to quickly share their experience of trying the currently hot supermarket chicken or those who want to try a cost-effective chicken at a low price at least once. However, waiting times will vary depending on the day and time, so you should head to the supermarket with some discretion. If you don’t want to go through this much for supermarket chicken, it’s better to wait until the craze dies down a bit.