Achieving 100 Million KRW in Monthly Sales for Three Consecutive Months
13.4 Million-Subscriber YouTuber's Restaurant Draws Crowds
Operated Privately Since Last Year
Due to Concerns Over Misunderstandings About Using Fame
YouTuber Hamji is making the 'Dubu Kimchi' menu at his recently opened gukbap restaurant. Hamji YouTube
It was recently revealed that Hamji, a famous "mukbang YouTuber" with 13.4 million subscribers, opened a gukbap (Korean soup with rice) restaurant last year. Hamji confessed that she had kept the restaurant operation private because she was concerned about misunderstandings that she might be taking the food business lightly or using her fame to open the restaurant.
On the 5th, YouTuber Hamji announced in a video titled "Revealing Hamji's Gukbap Restaurant" that she opened the gukbap restaurant near Exit 5 of Jongno 3-ga Station in Nakwon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, in July last year, achieving monthly sales of 100 million KRW for three consecutive months. She said, "Until now, I only did blog experience groups and Instagram ads. I did not reveal it on YouTube," adding, "I was worried that people might misunderstand that I was taking the food business lightly or using my fame to open the restaurant, so I operated it without disclosing it to my subscribers."
She continued, "Now, I believe we have established a system where any staff member can produce the same taste," and explained the reason for revealing the restaurant, saying, "Since most of the 'my own money, my own purchase' reviews are positive and we have achieved over 100 million KRW in sales for three consecutive months, I hope people will understand that I am sincere about this business, so I would like to introduce our restaurant."
Hamzy recently opened a gukbap restaurant and announced that it achieved monthly sales of 100 million KRW for three consecutive months. Hamzy YouTube
Hamji's restaurant is located in the heart of a popular pojangmacha (street food tent) area in Jongno. She said, "The kitchen is divided into the first and second floors, so I was considering the location of the restaurant, but it was close to Bukchon and Ikseon-dong areas where many overseas subscribers travel." Hamji, who lives in Cheongju, said she came up to Seoul whenever she had time to carefully check the progress of the construction.
Hamji's restaurant has a strong Korean aesthetic overall. She said, "I tried to incorporate a lot of Korean vibes into the exterior," adding, "Nowadays, there are many signs in Japanese and Chinese. I wanted to emphasize Korean style as much as possible. I also designed the interior in a style I like. I put a lot of thought into making it a gukbap restaurant during the day and a traditional tavern atmosphere at night." The restroom doors were made with mother-of-pearl inlay, adding a fun Korean touch.
She expressed satisfaction, saying, "Many of our customers are elderly, so instead of kiosks, we have hall staff take orders directly, even though it costs more in labor. As a side note, the customer age group is relatively high, but I feel good because it seems that the older generation recognizes the taste."
The menu item Hamji put the most effort into was gukbap. She said, "As a gukbap enthusiast, I tested it so much that it was hard to eat gukbap for a while. It took two months to perfect the broth flavor, and then I refined the taste over six months based on customer feedback. Gukbap is soul food but also a dish I truly love."
She added, "Making a few servings and producing hundreds of servings for restaurant operation are different matters. I received help from several experts and attended training with my team. I try not to use ready-made products as much as possible and make the seasoning by hand. Our gukbap seasoning sauce is our restaurant's kick. I recommend mixing the seasoning sauce into the gukbap before eating."
Hamji urged, "Please don't come just because you heard about it," and said, "It would be nice if you come with the feeling of tasting the food Hamji made. Business has been better than expected, so I was a bit hesitant about whether to reveal it or not. Still, I decided to disclose it because I can present the food I made to my subscribers." She also said, "I feel every day that the food business is really a difficult path," and asked for "your lots of support."
Besides gukbap (11,000 KRW), the restaurant sells grilled gopchang (beef intestines) (16,000 KRW), fried chili peppers (15,000 KRW), gochujang gopchang stew (33,000 KRW), tofu kimchi (23,000 KRW), assorted boiled pork and mini sooljuk (35,000 KRW), kimchi pancake (18,000 KRW), and more. The restaurant operated by Hamji has received positive reviews such as "Really delicious," "Good value for money," "Staff are friendly," "I want to come again," and "It seems they put a lot of effort into the interior."
Meanwhile, Hamji is a popular YouTuber who ranked third in the category of Koreans' favorite YouTubers in 2024. Last August, she appeared on Jang Young-ran's YouTube channel and caused a sensation by revealing, "My monthly YouTube income is enough to buy a fully loaded foreign car."
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