"Even 2-Year-Olds Must Order One Menu Item, Leave If You Dislike It"…Debate Erupts Over Troublesome Customer Story at Budae Jjigae Restaurant

At the Budae Jjigae Unlimited Refill Restaurant, "Children Also Must Order One Menu Item Each"
Gave Up on Unlimited Refill... "Customers Like That Are the Real Problem"

A netizen’s story about a family of four, including children, ordering three servings of food at an unlimited refills Budae-jjigae restaurant and being refused service is causing controversy on social networking services (SNS).

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Photo by Getty Images Bank

On the 1st, a post titled "Are we the troublemakers at the Budae-jjigae restaurant?" was uploaded on an online community. The author, Mr. A, said, "On the way back from visiting relatives today, I happened to see a banner advertising unlimited refills of Budae-jjigae and entered the restaurant," adding, "It was me, my wife, and two nephews. One is 25 months old and the other is 5 years old. There were two staff members who appeared to be a married couple. Anyway, we ordered two Budae-jjigae and one serving of beef hot pot."

However, the female owner refused the order, saying such an order was not allowed. The male owner tried to persuade her by saying, "They are babies, do we have to do that?" but the female owner replied, "They clearly look older than 5," leading to a disagreement.

Mr. A then ordered two Budae-jjigae and two beef hot pots, but the female owner recommended ordering Budae-jjigae according to the number of people. Mr. A explained that the children could not eat Budae-jjigae because it was too spicy and asked for understanding. The restaurant responded, "If you insist on ordering that way, the unlimited refill does not apply." In the end, Mr. A’s party gave up on the unlimited refill and ordered Budae-jjigae, requesting a separate table setting only for the children’s beef bulgogi rice set.

However, upon hearing this, the female owner angrily told them, "Get out. People like you, who look like customers, are the troublemakers who appear on the news," and said, "We have to be selective about customers. We don’t have to accept customers like you." Eventually, Mr. A’s family had to leave the restaurant without eating.

Mr. A said, "If we were four adults or if the kids were elementary school age, I would admit we were wrong, but with a 25-month-old baby and two 5-year-olds, I’m just upset," and added, "I really don’t know if we were wrong. Can’t they be a little flexible?"

Netizens who read the story responded negatively, saying things like, "Requiring one menu per preschool child is such a harsh world," "Charging the same price even though it’s obvious children eat less is like a thief’s mentality," "How much can kids really eat?" and "It’s been a while since I’ve seen a story where the customers aren’t the troublemakers."

Some netizens also commented, "If it’s unlimited refills, it’s right to order according to the number of people," and "If the child was young and had to order different food, they should have given up on refills. The owner is right."

'One meal per person,' 'one menu per person' becoming common... US restaurants respond with creative strategies

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Photo by Instagram proxywolf (Daehanmiguknom)

Recently, the food service industry seems to be normalizing the practice of 'one meal per person' and 'one menu per person.' In August, a story went viral about a 3-year-old child being asked to order 'one menu per person' at a sundae gukbap (Korean blood sausage soup with rice) restaurant. Mr. B, who shared the story, said he went to the sundae gukbap restaurant with his 3-year-old and ordered one bowl of sundae gukbap and an extra bowl of rice, but the owner recommended ordering one bowl of sundae gukbap for the 3-year-old as well, drawing criticism from netizens as an 'excessive measure.'

Meanwhile, the debate over 'one menu per person' at restaurants is not just a hot topic in Korea. According to major foreign media reports on the 26th, as consumers in the United States have become more budget-conscious due to high inflation and increasingly share meals at restaurants, restaurants are responding with creative strategies.

Abraham Merchant, CEO of a company operating 17 restaurants, said, "We have developed many bite-sized dishes to make it as natural as possible to prevent sharing." Another approach is to price single servings lower than larger portion menus to encourage ordering individual meals.

Some have even adopted strategies reflecting customers’ tendency to share food. For example, they used to sell a very large meatball for $15, but now sell three smaller meatballs for $12.50. Naturally, the total amount of meatballs has decreased compared to before.

The reason US restaurants avoid sharing food is that it negatively affects sales and profit margins. Sharing food reduces the number of menu items ordered and extends dining time due to conversation. According to a survey by the James Beard Foundation, 49% of restaurants reported that the average customer check was lower this year than last year, and 53% said their profits had decreased.