Riding the 'Mukbang' Craze, PC Rooms Turned into Restaurants... Selling Out Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen

With the Emergence of Shop-in-Shop Systems... Food Sales Account for 40% of Total Revenue
Ramen and Convenience Foods Sales Soar for Ottogi, Samyang, Nongshim, Dongwon, Paldo, and Others

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Sunghye] Riding the wave of the YouTube "mukbang" (eating broadcast) craze, PC bangs (internet cafes) are emerging as new mukbang venues, leading to a significant increase in food sales. Various food items have appeared in PC bangs under the shop-in-shop concept (a store within a store), intensifying competition in the food and beverage industry.

According to industry sources on the 22nd, the variety of food sold at PC bangs has recently expanded to the point where people say, "I go to PC bangs to eat." Not only YouTubers but also celebrities visiting PC bangs on TV shows to play games and eat have been broadcasted, further activating the eating culture in PC bangs.

In the past, PC bangs generated revenue solely from usage fees, but recently, with more freedom in food sales, food has become an important marketing point and a key revenue driver. Oh Sangyeop, a researcher at KB Financial Group Management Research Institute, explained, "The biggest reason for the revival of the PC bang industry is food marketing, with the sudden development of the food culture in PC bangs through the emergence of the shop-in-shop system, which is a structure that generates maximum profit with minimal setup." He added, "The entire PC bang industry was shaken by the indoor smoking ban law, which was the biggest crisis, but afterward, by investing in food sales in the form of shop-in-shop, the industry's trend completely changed."

According to a report from KB Financial Group Management Research Institute, in the past, snack sales accounted for about 10% of PC bang revenue, whereas now food sales make up about 40% of total revenue, with nearly half of PC bang income coming from food sales. While small and medium-sized enterprises dominate the supply of ingredients and products, some items like ramen and chicken benefit large food corporations.

In the case of Ottogi, "Jin Ramen Cup Noodles" is the best-selling item in PC bangs. An Ottogi representative explained, "Since we supply through sales agencies, it is difficult to confirm actual volume or amount, but over 90% of the products supplied to PC bangs are ramen, especially cup noodles, and as the number of PC bangs increases, the supply volume is also rising."

For Samyang Foods, "Big Cup Buldak Bokkeum Myun" is selling like hotcakes in PC bangs. A Samyang Foods representative said, "In the past, PC bangs mostly sought cup noodles, but recently, they have been turning ramen into a menu item by cooking it directly for consumers, so demand for bagged noodles is also increasing." In fact, Nongshim's popular PC bang products are "Chapaghetti" and "Shin Ramyun" bagged noodles. A Nongshim representative hinted, "The popularity of bagged noodles is analyzed to have increased due to the spread of unmanned ramen cookers."

Dongwon Home Food started supplying ingredients to PC bangs in September last year. The items include meat products (chicken nuggets, hamburger patties, pork cutlets, glutinous rice sweet and sour pork, etc.), fried foods (fried seaweed rolls, vegetable tempura, etc.), and beverages (grapefruit ade, lemon ade, sterilized milk, etc.), totaling about 200 items, currently supplied to over 30 PC bangs nationwide.

Paldo launched its private brand (PB) product "Perfect Ramen" in February last year, which is sold in PC bangs. More than 110,000 units were sold from January to March alone. Junko, a karaoke pub, has also been offering its PB product "Junko Ramen" since April 2015. Junko Ramen, an instant cooked ramen, has gained popularity and sold over 360,000 units from January to March.

Researcher Oh predicted, "As the perception of PC bangs changes into a complex cultural space for gaming, dating, relaxation, content viewing, and enjoying various foods, the industry is expected to continue expanding."

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