Bo-eun leads the digital content team. She has covered foreign affairs, North Korea, tech, economy and gender issues at The Korea Times. She did a short stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she obtained a new perspective on news production and life. Small sources of joy for her are lounging in the sun, having a good latte and swimming.
Inventive menus entice customers
Dishes offered at sushi & grilled buffet restaurant Soosa / Courtesy of E-Land
By Kim Bo-eun
Sushi with samgyeopsal, or pork belly. Jjamppong, a quasi-Chinese dish consisting of noodles and soup, and pizza. These unlikely combinations are “hybrid menus” offered by the food service industry to entice more customers.
“Hybrid restaurants that offer consumers an entirely different menu along with its specialized main menu are expanding as consumers increasingly seek to enjoy various dishes and ambiences at one place,” a marketing official at E-Land’s food service division said.
Sushi and grilled buffet restaurant Soosa offers both raw and cooked delicacies. With these two as its main items, it offers some 60 different dishes including sushi and California rolls as well as grilled samgyeopsal and teriyaki chicken.
Bbongsin is another eatery that has become increasingly popular with young customers. It offers pizza along with jjamppong. The noodle soup is also in fused with ingredients and elements usually seen in pasta. Varieties of the soup include garlic jjamppong, tomato and seafood jjamppong and cream sauce jjamppong.
“Restaurant businesses are attempting to swiftly meet the changing preferences of customers,” an industry source said.