"Looks Like AI": 350,000 Sold in Just a Month

Why is chogye-guksu (chilled chicken noodles) showing up here?

By "here," we mean a cafe.

These days, cafes don't just sell coffee and bread.

Fried rice, tteokbokki, and even chogye-guksu have made their appearance.

Inside a cup, you'll find broth with floating ice crystals, noodles, and chicken.

This is a chogye-guksu menu introduced by a coffee franchise.

Expressing surprise that it looks like an AI-generated image, consumers continue to share curious reviews on social media.

Previously, another cafe released boneless seasoned fried chicken in a cup like this.

It even surpassed 350,000 in cumulative sales within four weeks.

While cafes used to sell light snack menus or items like bungeoppang and cookies during winter, they now appear to be expanding into meal-style menus.

The reason cafes are introducing full-meal menus is interpreted as the beverage-centered coffee market having reached a saturation point.

With the number of major brand stores growing into the thousands, it has become difficult to boost sales per store through beverage sales alone. Analysts suggest that cafes are pursuing a survival strategy by combining meal-style menus to encourage bundled orders on delivery apps and raise the average spending per visitor.

(Source: The Venti and Mega Coffee Instagram, Article source: Korea Economic Daily)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.