I will transfer the reservation rights for the third week of March at Mosu Seoul on Friday evening. Negotiable for 1 million won for 2 people.
This is a post that frequently appears on secondhand transaction platforms like Lightning Market, JunggoNara, and carrot. ‘Mosu’ is a restaurant that received 3 stars in the 2023 Michelin Guide Seoul edition. Chef Anh Sung-jae, who leads Mosu, gained widespread recognition through the entertainment program ‘Culinary Class Wars.’ He suddenly closed Mosu last year, which was at the peak of dining culture, and began renovations.
Mosu completed its renovations this month and resumed operations. As proof of Chef Anh Sung-jae’s popularity, all reservations for three months until the end of June were fully booked within a day of opening reservations on the 8th. The number of people on the waiting list who applied for ‘empty seat notifications’ for each date until June reached 9,000.
Chef Anh raised the dinner price at Mosu Seoul over 30% from 320,000 won to 420,000 won per person. With the exception of some sushi omakase, this is the highest price among fine dining dinners in the country. It’s more than 20% higher than Mingles, which received three stars in this year’s Michelin Guide Seoul edition (350,000 won).
According to ChosunBiz's coverage on the 12th, there has been a sharp increase in instances of false sales of reservation rights for popular restaurants like Mosu and Mingles on online secondhand transaction sites and social networking services (SNS). They deceive others by claiming that they made a reservation on a specific date and show a fabricated reservation confirmation screen. Their method involves taking several times the actual meal price.
◇ "I lost 1.2 million won for an unbooked reservation... The 'star restaurant' attracts 9,000 waitlist members"
The actual price of the dinner course at Mosu is approximately 840,000 won for 2 people. However, it's difficult to obtain at the regular price. Sellers list their reservation rights with a premium of at least 50% to double.
When contacted, they entice buyers by saying, "Some people are willing to pay 1.5 million won for two weekend seats," or another seller may approach by saying, "If you send a deposit of 500,000 won first, I will meet you on the day to transfer the reservation."
Fine dining is a business model with low profitability due to high costs for ingredients, interior design, and labor. Even at high meal prices, it is often operating at a loss. CJ CheilJedang, the giant in the food industry, invested over several hundred million won in Mosu until last year but saw little to no revenue and ultimately parted ways.
After parting ways with Mosu, CJ CheilJedang opened a new restaurant called San in Gangnam, Seoul, in July last year, partnering with Chef Cho Seung-hyun, who was the executive chef at Michelin 3-star ‘Benu’ in San Francisco. However, San failed to win any awards in this year’s Michelin Guide Seoul edition. Currently, the only restaurant operated by CJ CheilJedang that received a star in the Michelin Guide this year is Novel Hannam (1 star).
A CJ CheilJedang official noted, “Mosu was a contract with Chef Anh Sung-jae personally, so it was not an official CJ CheilJedang business,” and added, “San has not been operational for even a year, so it probably wasn’t eligible for this year’s Michelin Guide Seoul evaluation.”
The high-priced reservation rights for fine dining are limited to restaurants like Mosu Seoul or Mingles that have held or currently hold Michelin Guide 3-star ratings. The food service industry assesses that the reason only certain fine dining establishments are exhibiting extraordinary popularity, despite the structural characteristics that even the largest food conglomerates in the country struggle with, is due to "consumers' blind following of popular chefs."
Kim So-hyung, a consultant at David & Company, stated, “The culture of needing to go just because a restaurant has received a star in the Michelin Guide, even if the prices are high, is becoming a target for scammers,” and added, “Instead of being swept away by what others are doing, a true gourmet culture that accumulates one’s own tastes and experiences, even if it takes time, needs to take root.”
◇ “Confirm the reservation with the restaurant before making a secondhand transaction.”
According to the legal field, fraudulent activities involving reservation rights constitute a crime of fraud under criminal law. Offenders may face imprisonment for up to 10 years or fines up to 20 million won. If they illegally preempt reservations using automated software (macros), they may face additional penalties for violating the Computer Program Protection Act.
Consumers who have suffered can report fraud to the local police station or file for damage relief with the Korea Consumer Agency.
An official from the Korea Legal Aid Corporation advised, "This is a clear act of fraud in which false information is intentionally provided for monetary gain," and added, "Victims should report to the police immediately and secure as much evidence as possible, including the relevant posts, conversation details, and phone numbers."
Experts stated, “To prevent fraud, reservations should only be made through official restaurant websites or official reservation apps, and purchases of reservation rights on social media or secondhand transaction platforms should be avoided.” In suspicious situations, one should contact the restaurant directly to verify the authenticity of the reservation.
Legal experts in the food service industry remarked, “Some famous restaurants explicitly add phrases like ‘non-transferable’ or ‘legal action for unauthorized transfers’ to their reservation terms in anticipation of possible lawsuits,” and noted, “There have been cases where the restaurant directly took legal action against consumers for transfer-related damages.”