I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 129



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Episode 129: A Timely Proposal

“Hello, viewers.

“The high-quality educational broadcast Gourmet, which introduces various dishes and restaurants to the public and helps them understand food culture, will start right now.”

Clap clap clap.

Applause from the audience erupts as Kim Ho-jin introduces himself.

“Today, there is a hot place that is a hot topic these days. I’m going to talk about it. Those of you who are quick-witted will have already noticed.

These two restaurants are fine dining restaurants that recently opened, but have been consistently filling up their seats since their opening. These days, Garosu-gil is becoming a mecca for young people.

“Since there is a road between us, there is bound to be a comparison, and today, I would like to invite the panelists and talk about this.”

The host takes a moment to catch his breath.

“These days, when it comes to fine dining, we have an expert who cannot be left out. We have invited Tobias Kim Chun-sik.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Kim Chun-sik.”

Chun-sik, dressed neatly in a suit, bows his head and greets.

“And today, Mr. Jeong Hyeong-jin, who studied abroad in France and is well-versed in Western dining, is here with us again.”

Clap clap clap.

The audience applauds Hyungjin, who is popular for his youthful appearance and eloquence.

“And finally, we had a hard time inviting Director Gong Min-ah, who is in charge of the restaurant business at Royal Group.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Along with Chun-sik’s introduction, Gong Min-ah greets him. She is a prominent figure in the industry who started out as a rank-and-file employee and rose to the position of general manager. She mainly worked on discovering and launching restaurants both domestically and internationally, and she was promoted repeatedly because the brands she introduced had high profitability.

“Okay! I think you all know what today’s topic is. Suddenly, a new wind is blowing in Korea. In the past, chefs used to say in unison that it was too hard to run a fine dining restaurant in Korea. But what’s different now? Both restaurants are thriving.”

Once all the panelists are introduced, Hojin gets straight to the point.

“I think there are two major things that have changed.”

Chunshik speaks first.

“What is it?”

“First of all, the biggest reason is that internationally renowned chefs and restaurants have come to Korea.

People have probably heard a lot about Chef Shin Je-hee through articles and broadcasts. Chef Shin was even praised for her excellent dinner dishes prepared by heads of state at the G20. However, this story had little to do with the general public.”

Chunsik stops talking and takes a sip of water.

“It used to be like that, but now that Segreto has opened in Seoul, things are different. You can experience for yourself what kind of dishes a Michelin-starred chef from New York is making. I think this curiosity is driving the buzz in the fine dining scene.”

“And is there one more?”

“We can point to the qualitative improvement of fine dining in Korea. In Korea, there was a process of many high-end dining establishments emerging and failing during the 2000s.

That period was a sort of level-up stage for the domestic dining scene. Now, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the food served by the surviving restaurants is guaranteed to have a certain level of quality.”

“Thank you for the good story. Do you both agree with this?”

“I generally agree. One important reason is that as national income increases, people have the capacity to pay attention to consumer culture.

The recent rise in popularity of cooking shows seems to be a reflection of this trend. Overall, interest in eating habits has increased.”

Jeong Hyeong-jin adds to Chun-sik’s words and shares his thoughts.

“Do you think this trend can spread a bit more? Will the dining boom come to Korea as well?”

“I am negative about this.”

In response to Hojin’s question, Gong Min-ah, the head of the restaurant business division, speaks first.

“Why is that so?”

“I understand that everyone here has been to Segreto for some preliminary research. How was the price?”

She looks at the two of them and asks a question.

“It certainly wasn’t cheap.”

“Segretto is being sold for more than double the price of its neighboring Monaca, which is bad for the industry in the long run.”

“Are you claiming that Segreto is making huge profits?”

“Considering that Monaka is operating normally, we can guess that Segreto’s profit margin is quite high. So, if it is a profit, it can be said that it is a profit.”

Before appearing on the show, Gong Min-ah received an offer from Daeyoung Group to first take down Segreto together.

For the two companies that are beginning to make full-fledged investments in the fine dining industry, Segreto, which took the lead in the industry as soon as it entered the Korean market, felt like a thorn in their side. The sprouts need to be stepped on in the early stages.

Gong Min-ah, whose interests coincided with Dae-young’s for the first time in a while, responded to the invitation today by preparing various attack points.

“But isn’t pricing the sole prerogative of the owner?”

Hojin tilts his head and asks when he hears an answer that is different from what he expected.

“Of course. But there are limits to business. In this era when we need to expand the base of fine dining, if the threshold for restaurants with a good reputation is too high, it will hinder the expansion of dining culture in the long term.”

Food is extremely subjective, so attacking it will have little effect. You have to persuade with objective numbers and facts. She silently praised the staff who had devised the strategy.

“I don’t know much about it, but I understand that Chef Shin Je-hee set the prices the same as the main branch in New York. Shouldn’t that be praised?”

“To explain this, we need to understand the restaurant’s revenue structure.

The biggest expense in a restaurant is not the cost of ingredients, but labor. But there is a big difference in labor costs between New York and Korea. The minimum wage in Korea is less than half of that in New York.

In terms of rent, Gangnam is expensive, but not as expensive as Manhattan. Despite these sufficient factors to lower prices, isn’t it problematic to maintain prices similar to those in New York in Korea?”

The audience also nodded their heads as if Gong Min-ah’s words were persuasive.

“What do you think, Mr. Jeong Hyeong-jin?”

“The prices of food at Segreto are comparable to or even cheaper than those of fine dining restaurants I’ve been to in Europe. And I was very satisfied there. I can’t see what you could possibly complain about.”

Jeong Hyeong-jin shakes his head with an expression of incomprehension.

“Our company operates a variety of dining options. We operate premium restaurants ranging from Korean to Chinese, Italian, French, and Japanese, but none of them cost more than 100,000 won per meal.

I also know that Monaka offers an Italian course for less than 100,000 won. I am saying this because I am worried that the excessively high cost of eating out will damage the image of the industry. I have no other intentions.”

Consumers are price sensitive. It is still early days, so no one is talking about it, but if we can create negative public opinion among the class that is hesitant to go to Segreto, then that will be enough to achieve the goal.

The rest can blow the problem out of proportion by pouring out articles through the media and mobilizing manpower to make it public in each community. Just as Gong Min-ah was about to finish her story with satisfaction, another voice was heard.

“This is the most ridiculous claim I’ve ever heard.”

Chun-sik looks at Gong Min-ah with a dumbfounded expression.

“What did you say?”

“If there had been no Segreto, the public interest in dining would not have been this high in the first place. For the general public, many of them first heard the term fine dining through Chef Shin Je-hee. But it is ridiculous to say unconfirmed facts as if they were true, such as that it is harmful to the industry or that it is making excessive profits.”

Chun-sik had been careful with his words since he made a shocking statement on a broadcast a few years ago. However, when he heard Gong Min-ah’s dark claim, he unknowingly released his restraint.

“What is the basis for saying that?”

“CEO Gong Min-ah’s argument is no different from demanding that a Benz be sold at the price of a domestic car. I think that shows a lack of understanding of food and industry. The food service division does various businesses, right? Is there a proper fine dining among them? Whenever people ask me what fine dining is, I say two things.”

“What is that?”

Hojin adds excitement to the increasingly interesting talk.

“First is the chef. Fine dining must reflect the chef’s philosophy. This is the alpha and omega of dining.

And the second is the service and atmosphere that matches the price. How many restaurants in Korea do you think can match this? And you mentioned labor costs earlier, but that is an incredibly shameless statement.”

“Why is that so?”

“Because there is no industry that does not follow labor laws as much as the food service industry. Where else would you find a workplace that makes employees work 12 hours a day, 70 hours a week, and doesn’t even pay them 1.3 million won? Because the industry is small, whistleblowing rarely comes out, but if you investigate, you can easily confirm.

One of the reasons I rate Segreto highly is that they pay their employees realistic wages. Chef Shin Je-hee also said this in an interview. There are no unpaid employees at Segreto. The chefs also work with the best treatment in the industry.

You said that fine dining in Korea is cheap these days. The reason they can maintain these prices is because they exploit their employees. This is no exception in other countries. There are many restaurants that are maintained by grinding out the labor of many young people under the pretext of “stage (trainee).” Stages are unpaid by mutual agreement, but in Korea, even if they are converted to regular employees, they receive a monthly salary that is less than the minimum wage.”

As Chun-sik continues his radical remarks, the PD’s eyes sparkle. Then he signals to Ho-jin to continue.

“Look here! Mr. Kim Chun-sik. This is a common practice in the cultural and artistic world. Go to the film industry. Who gets paid properly from the beginning? The beauty and fashion industries are the same. Do you know why? Because for them, the experience itself is a kind of education. It is unfair to ignore the characteristics of this industry and make generalizations.”

Gong Min-ah’s face turns red as she protests, as if she is truly angry.

“I am explaining the cost of Segreto that the head of the headquarters mentioned earlier. So, it is not possible to say that they are making as much profit as we think. Not only that, Segreto is also training domestic chefs while paying them proper wages.

Over time, they will take root and spread out in all directions. In the long run, they will elevate the level of our dining. But I can’t help but think that there must be some other intention behind such unintentional criticism.”

Chun-sik pours out his words and touches his forehead.

‘I did it again.’

Food is the highest priority in Chun-sik’s life. He did not want the fine dining establishment that had finally appeared in Korea to be embroiled in unnecessary controversy. If it were to withdraw from Korea, who would take responsibility? He will probably be an irreplaceable chef in the Korean Western dining scene for a long time.

“What kind of verbal abuse is that? Apologize!”

Gong Min-ah kicks the chair and gets up.

“Okay! Calm down. The conversation has gone off on a tangent.”

Hojin tries to lighten the heated atmosphere. However, the two did not stop making sharp remarks to each other throughout the recording. And the PD edited and aired this in the most provocative way possible.

└Did you see Gourmet this week?

└It was so funny. The panelists were fighting with each other, their faces turning red.

└What’s going on?

└It’s difficult to summarize in a few words. Watch the broadcast.

└The head of the Royal Restaurant Division came out and surprised Shin Je-hee. But Tobias said that they were too shameless and threw a straight ball.

└I’m an aspiring chef, and there’s nothing wrong with what Mr. To said. Minimum wage? What is that? We don’t know about that.

└But isn’t Segreto expensive? Isn’t it something that can be done?

└As Mr. To said, why would you buy a Benz at the price of a domestic car?

└I don’t know. But seeing that makes me feel like I’m being ripped off, so I feel uneasy. I was going to go, but I put it on hold.

└Yeah. Even if it’s not you, the reservations will be full.

A rare debate between panelists has put foodies at the center of attention once again.

* * *

When I look at the articles and comments in the office, I feel dizzy. This guy, Kim Chun-sik, has the talent to appear on real-time search terms just by appearing on TV. His blog has already become a large company with over 100,000 followers.

One thing that is concerning is that there is a debate about the cost of Segreto in each community, and related articles are also pouring out focusing on that.

‘It’s an organized movement.’

From the beginning, when we entered the Korean market, we did not think that we would be able to settle into the market without any obstacles. This is because the fine dining market before our return was a territory controlled by several large companies. Fine dining must grow based on bold investment and financial ability to take losses. It is generally not a range that individuals can afford.

‘I am an exception, though.’

Ring ring ring.

As I was wondering how to solve this problem, the phone rang.

-Sir Shin? I’m Kim Pi-deep.

“Nice to meet you, PD-nim.”

-I saw the article. Segreto is very hot these days.

“I’m not happy about it because it’s not only mentioned as a good thing.”

-Haha. Isn’t that all public interest? I think you might be a little uncomfortable, but I think the time has finally come.

“What time are you talking about?”

– When you keep your promise to appear on the show. Gourmet Road will go. Let’s call it Gourmet Road Fine Dining Edition! What do you think?

PD Kim is a bit of a mean person, but he has an animalistic instinct.

It was a timely proposal that came at a time when a breakthrough was needed.