$7 bread buffet sparks backlash over food waste

Leftover bread piles up at the return station in an image from a Tous Les Jours buffet review video uploaded by YouTuber Ddorengefood on Sunday. Captured from YouTube

A viral 9,900 won ($7) all-you-can-eat bread buffet at Tous Les Jours is drawing criticism for encouraging food waste, with videos showing piles of half-eaten pastries left behind by customers.

While the concept has drawn massive crowds and early-morning lines, calls are growing for the bakery chain to implement stricter rules.

Operated by CJ Foodville, the premium Tous Les Jours stores in Gangnam and Apgujeong currently offer the “Green Plate” buffet, which allows guests to enjoy unlimited bread for one hour. The buffet includes dozens of pastry types and one complimentary drink.

The low price and novelty have made the buffet a sensation online, with YouTube videos capturing scenes of customers lining up as early as 6 a.m.

YouTuber BreadTube, who has over 140,000 subscribers, shared a video on March 30 showing a long queue outside the Gangnam store. “It opens at 8 a.m., but the line starts forming by 7. If you come then, it’s already too late,” she said. Another food vlogger reported arriving at 7:05 a.m. but was not seated until 11 a.m.

But alongside the hype, criticism is mounting. Content creators and customers alike have raised concerns about how much bread goes to waste.

“It felt like a gathering of food destroyers. People were poking, tearing, and abandoning pastries. Some trays were left completely untouched," YouTuber Ddorengefood said in a review of the Apgujeong branch.

“People were taking one bite and leaving the rest. It was extreme. I think at least some basic rules are necessary.”

Dozens line up at a Tous Les Jours bread buffet starting at 6 a.m. in a video uploaded by YouTuber Eternal Kkanbu on April 9. Captured from YouTube

Under buffet rules, leftover bread cannot be taken home, but there have been accounts of customers sneaking pieces out. “We saw someone at the next table wrap fresh bread in a napkin and slip it into a bag — it was like a Jean Valjean moment," said a video uploaded April 9 on YouTube channel Eternal Kkanbu.

Online users have echoed the frustration. “They should cut the bread into bite-sized pieces,” one commenter wrote. Others proposed imposing an environmental fee to discourage waste. “This level of food waste is shocking. Even at a typical Korean buffet, people don’t behave like this,” another said.

As popularity grows, so does the pressure on Tous Les Jours to address the issue as the buffet’s initial charm could be overshadowed by public backlash.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.