Baek Jong-won, who opened a Korean restaurant, faced a refund situation.

Baek Jong-won of tvN's 'Business Genius White Sands' appears to be struggling in Naples, Italy. The first Korean restaurant opened in Naples and introduced the popular menu, 'Jeyuk Ssambap Set', but it was discovered that the restaurant had no customers. Expectations are growing as to how Baek Jong-won will overcome this crisis this time and how his true value as a ‘business genius’ will be revealed once again.

tvN's 'Business Genius Baeksajang' (directed by Lee Woo-hyung) is the story of Baek Jong-won, Korea's best restaurant management expert, who takes on the challenges of starting a business and operating a restaurant in a wasteland of Korean cuisine.

In the last broadcast, Baek Jong-won received a mission to start a Korean restaurant with annual sales of 500 million won in Naples, Italy, where no Korean restaurant has existed since history. After touring three candidate locations and analyzing the commercial districts, he selected Santa Lucia Street, which had a high repeat visit rate, as the final location for the store, and immediately began developing the menu. Next, a tasting party was held for pizza with Korean-style toppings as a menu that was in harmony with the local culture, but the result was a failure.

Accordingly, Baek Jong-won chose the Jeonggong method. Bulgogi and stir-fried pork itself are delicious, and we actively reflected the opinions of customers that they would go well with rice, so we raised our game with 'Baekban,' an authentic Korean dish served with rice and side dishes.

In episode 5, which airs on the 30th, the first Korean restaurant in Naples, Italy, officially opens. I also got a trustworthy Cheongunmama. The entire Italian team appears, including 'Little Business Genius' Lee Jang-woo, who joined Italy after Africa, and 'Language Genius' John Park and 'Human Resources Genius' Yuri, who were newly hired as employees.

However, looking at the released preview video, the goal of achieving 500 million won in annual sales is predicted like 'Mission Impossible'. This is because, unlike a nearby pizza restaurant crowded with customers, an empty Korean restaurant was captured without a single customer. Lee Jang-woo, who is in charge of the kitchen along with Baek Jong-won, is also full of worry, saying, “There are not too many customers.” Moreover, a guest who was barely seated complained about the food, and eventually hall manager John Park offered to give a refund, raising curiosity about the story.

While it is assumed that the rice business will not be smooth in Naples, Baek Jong-won is the only one who is not shaken by the crisis, attracting attention again. “This is a very real business. He calmly accepted the situation, saying, “This is what business is like.” This is why the 100% pure, 'real' overseas startup story of Baek Jong-won, a 'business genius' who made a splash with authentic Korean food in a real store rather than a street stall, is raising expectations even more.

The production team said, “In today’s (30th) broadcast, Baek Jong-won, along with Lee Jang-woo, John Park, and Kwon Yuri, complete three days of intense business preparation and begin business in earnest. How will the people of Naples, Italy, the country of gourmet food, react to Baek Jong-won's Baekban's first menu item, 'Jeyuk Ssambap Set Meal', and the business genius who used various strategies such as 'show-and-run' and 'price quiz show' in the last business is Korean food. “Please keep an eye on what kind of marketing and strategy we will use to approach unfamiliar locals this time.”

Broadcast at 7:40 PM on Sunday the 30th.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr