Actor Lee Jang-woo closed the curry restaurant "Garae" that he had been operating, nine months after opening.
Through Naver Map, the "Garae" side guided, "We will end operations as of Sept. 1. Thank you for visiting."
Lee Jang-woo opened the curry restaurant "Garae" in Dec. last year. It sold a single curry item for 10,000 won, and took additional orders for toppings such as egg yolk and meat, as well as extra curry and rice. As a side dish, cabbage muchim was provided.
From its early days, "Garae" suffered harsh reviews that the portions were small for the price and the taste was nothing special. One user wrote on an online community, "It wasn't worth the money. It tasted similar to Japanese commercial curry," adding, "Additional orders also cost more expense and the portions are small." Other customers said, "We expected more from a curry specialty shop, but it was sweet, with an overpowering sweetness that didn't fit."
In 2023 on tvN's "The Genius Paik 2," Lee Jang-woo was recognized for business acumen by Paik Jong-won, head of Theborn Korea, and jumped into the restaurant business. He expanded his business into a soondae soup restaurant, a udon shop, and a walnut pastry franchise. However, evaluations of him as a restaurant owner are mixed. Late last year on YouTube, Lee acknowledged, "At first, business was good, but as employees struggled, the taste went down," noting that he was reorganizing.
Recently, he also found success with the "Buchang Bakery" walnut pastry brand. After opening a store in Gangnam in Oct. 2024, it surpassed cumulative sales of 100 million pieces in six months and was selected as an official partner of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
According to the National Tax Service, the number of business closure filings last year exceeded 1 million, and 45% of them were in retail and restaurants. Experts diagnosed, "The economic slowdown and weaker consumption are leading to more closures."