A Restaurant with Cheap Anju but Requires Ordering Basic Drinks
Mukbang YouTuber Controversy Over Ordering Basic Drinks + 8 Anju Items
A YouTuber's story about being scolded for ordering too many side dishes at a bar where the side dishes are very cheap but you have to order basic alcohol has become a hot topic.
On the 16th, a post titled "YouTuber scolded for ordering 8 side dishes at a bar" was uploaded on several online communities. The author of the post shared the story of a YouTuber who uploaded a mukbang video at a bar. This YouTuber ordered exactly 2 bottles of soju and 8 side dishes including gyeran-mari (rolled omelette), fried egg, odeng-tang (fish cake soup), fried dumplings, Yonggari, spicy potato jeonbyeong (pancake), grilled dried filefish, and tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork).
The side dishes at this bar are very cheap compared to other places. Fried egg costs 1,000 won, gyeran-mari 2,000 won, odeng-tang 1,500 won, fried dumplings 2,000 won, and most side dishes are under 2,000 won. The most expensive menu item among what the YouTuber ordered, tangsuyuk, is only 5,000 won. Other side dishes are mostly under 10,000 won, making the prices incomparable to those of other bars.
However, at this bar, each table must order at least 2 bottles of basic soju. This is because the business model is to sell side dishes much cheaper than the market price but make a profit by selling more alcohol. Bringing in outside food is allowed, but if more than half of the gyeran-mari is left uneaten, a fine of 2,000 won must be paid. The YouTuber said that when they ordered 8 side dishes, "the owner shouted and scolded me, saying 'You ordered a lot (of side dishes) without drinking (alcohol)'" and shared the situation at that time.
Menu of a bar where the side dishes are cheap but you have to order the basic drinks[Image source=Online community capture]
Netizens who read this story mostly reacted by calling the YouTuber a "difficult customer." They criticized the YouTuber by saying things like, "Ordering only 2 bottles of alcohol and eating cheap side dishes is selfish," "They didn’t follow the unspoken rules and are too shameless," and "The business model doesn’t make money from side dishes, so they lack manners."
Others expressed concerns such as, "I’m worried that such difficult customers will harm other customers," "Since outside food is allowed, they make profits from alcohol," "If you offer kindness, you should do it moderately," and "This is a place where students or elderly people with little money order one cheap side dish and drink, but this culture of consideration was ruined." There were also suspicions that the YouTuber deliberately behaved this way for filming the video. Some comments understood the owner’s feelings, saying, "The side dishes are so cheap that they probably don’t make money unless you drink alcohol," and "I’ve been there too, and if you don’t drink much, you get that kind of reaction from the owner."
On the other hand, a minority opinion stated, "'They said '2 bottles or more,' so ordering 2 bottles shouldn’t be a problem," "The owner’s mood suddenly changed strangely; what did the customer do wrong?" "If that’s the case, they should have limited side dish orders," "They should just raise the side dish prices," and "They followed all the rules, so why blame the YouTuber?"
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