Fried chicken chain BBQ is reaping strong benefits from repeated visits by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
Sales at BBQ's Hongdae Station outlet jumped more than 20 percent over the three days from June 5 through June 7 compared with the same period the previous week, according to BBQ. Demand was so strong during peak hours on the weekend that the branch ran out of prepared stock.
The outlet sits in Hongdae's main commercial strip, a high-traffic area popular with foreign tourists and consumers in their 20s and 30s. Sales climbed after Huang's visit drew customers eager to see his autograph and snap photos at the seat where he sat.
Huang first visited the Hongdae Station branch on June 5 after dinner with South Korean business leaders, stopping in for what Koreans call "chimaek" — fried chicken paired with beer. Wearing plastic gloves on both hands, he dug into golden olive chicken and draft beer.
Then on June 7, ahead of throwing the ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears home game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, Huang ordered 113 boxes of "Crunchy Boneless Cracker" chicken from the BBQ outlet inside the stadium. Before taking the mound, he told reporters, "There is nothing better than chimaek."
BBQ says it is pleased as Huang's back-to-back chimaek outings continue to spread across social media.
spa@heraldcorp.com
