Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's 'foodie' tour sparks culinary craze in South Korea, boosting sales

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's recent trip to South Korea has created an unexpected culinary sensation, with his food and beverage choices becoming highly sought-after items. Young Koreans have affectionately dubbed him 'a person who knows how to eat' (먹잘알), and businesses are experiencing a surge in sales as a direct result.

During his visit, Huang was seen enjoying pork belly at a barbecue restaurant in Seoul's Hongdae district. He also purchased desserts from a nearby shop, Pear Berry Banana, and shared them with onlookers. A video of this act, posted by the dessert shop, garnered 2.9 million views in just one day, boosting the shop's profile significantly.

The impact extended to major food brands. A branch of the popular fried chicken chain BBQ in Hongdae reported a 20% increase in sales over two consecutive days after Huang dined there. His enjoyment of BBQ's boneless fried chicken and OB beer while attending a baseball game also drew attention to these products online. BBQ is now planning to launch a "Huang-style" set meal and marketing campaigns.

Other fried chicken brands have also benefited, with BHC reporting a roughly 15% increase in sales compared to the previous month. Restaurants specializing in samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), knife-cut noodles, and cold noodles, which Huang visited, are now seeing increased discussion on social media, anticipating a rise in customer traffic. Even convenience stores and snack companies have seen boosts, with GS25 stores in the Hongdae area experiencing a 62% single-day sales increase. Specific items like honey banana flavored chips saw an astonishing 704% sales jump, leading to discussions about making the limited-edition product a permanent offering.