The "Black and White Chefs" Craze Fuels a New War: Even Lines Are Bought and Sold

Reservation Wars Fueled by "Black and White Chef" Craze
Reservation Tickets Selling for Up to 400,000 Won

"I want to enter at 7 p.m. on Saturday. If you can get a waiting number for that time slot and send me a verification photo, I'll transfer the payment to you."

Recently, a new type of transaction has become widespread, where people buy and sell restaurant waiting tickets to avoid the so-called "waiting hell." The trend of experiential consumption, where people visit popular restaurants featured on shows like Netflix's "Black and White Chefs: Culinary Class War" Season 2, has fueled fierce competition for spots in line. This form of experiential consumption has become even more active as it is shared through social networking services (SNS).

A scene from Netflix's cooking competition reality show "Black and White Chefs: Culinary Class War" Season 2. Netflix Korea official YouTube channel.

On January 2, the secondhand trading platform was flooded with posts offering to sell screenshots of waiting numbers from waiting apps or to stand in line on behalf of others so they can enter at their desired time, for a fee of at least 10,000 won per hour. During the year-end season or on weekends, premiums are standard. Some sellers are even calling for high prices of 100,000 to 400,000 won per reservation ticket, or selling to the highest bidder as if in an auction, making the price essentially negotiable.

Shin Jaesung, a 39-year-old office worker in Busan looking for someone to stand in line at a popular pizza place, said, "I really want to try this famous pizza, so I'm looking for someone to help." Lee Suyeon, 26, said, "I love sweet foods and pistachios, and I'm searching for secondhand deals because I want to try 'Dubai Jjondeuk Cookie.'"

A transaction post related to waiting agency services posted on the secondhand trading platform "Danggeun". Screenshot from Danggeun.

In reality, competing for reservations and standing in line have now become essential rites of passage for visiting popular restaurants. According to a sample survey of Korean smartphone users by WiseApp Retail, the number of monthly users of major restaurant reservation and waiting apps nearly tripled from 1.02 million in August 2022 to 2.91 million as of August this year.

Heo Kyungok, a professor in the Department of Consumer Industry at Sungshin Women's University, commented, "Buying and selling waiting tickets is a personal choice, and for restaurants, it can have marketing benefits. However, it is true that excessive time and costs are being consumed on a societal level. Consumers should not be swayed by the mere reputation of being a 'restaurant worth lining up for' and should make rational spending decisions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.