'Tteokbokki and Twigim' Appear at Starbucks... "Is It Okay to Eat?"

Tteokbokki and Fried Snacks Mukbang Spotted at Starbucks Store
Allowed to Bring In If 'Smell Is Not Strong' According to Regulations

A customer was spotted bringing and eating a tteokbokki and fried food set inside a Starbucks store. [Photo source = Online community capture]

A customer was spotted eating a set of tteokbokki and fried snacks inside a franchise coffee shop, 'Starbucks.' Recently, a video titled 'Starbucks Tteokbokki Incident' was uploaded to an online community. The video shows customers, presumed to be a child and their parents, bringing tteokbokki and fried snacks in containers and eating them inside the cafe.

The uploader, Mr. A, recalled the situation, saying, "This is Starbucks, I couldn't believe my eyes," and added, "The customers were enjoying their food when an employee approached them very politely and kindly explained the rules." It is known that the customers only left the store with their containers after listening to the staff's explanation. However, they left their finished drinks and trash behind without cleaning up, which displeased onlookers.

Netizens who saw the video reacted with comments such as, "I couldn't believe my eyes," "Bringing the containers themselves seems more troublesome," "This is Korea, not China, right?" "Tteokbokki does go well with iced Americano," "The smell must be really strong; they have no sense of moderation," "There are really many shameless young couples these days," "The staff who have to clean up afterward are the most pitiful," "At the store near my house, someone even ate rice balls," and "Starbucks seems to have a lot of problematic customers."

Officially, most domestic franchise cafes prohibit 'bringing in outside food.' This is because they sell desserts like cakes and bread inside the store and to avoid causing inconvenience to other customers. Among cafes, Starbucks is the only one that allows outside food under its global policy. This reflects Starbucks' philosophy of providing a cultural space, not just selling coffee, in the form of permitting outside food. However, foods with strong odors such as pizza and hamburgers, or large items that could dirty the tables, are prohibited from being brought in.