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| British chef Gordon Ramsay speaks during a press meeting at his newly opened street pizza restaurant in southern Seoul, on Nov. 10. Courtesy of Gordon Ramsay Korea |
By Kim Jae-heun
Chloe Jeon, a 31-year-old office worker, recently visited the Gordon Ramsay Restaurant in southern Seoul and was surprised to discover that the most expensive item on the menu, the "1966 Burger," costs 140,000 won ($101.71) alone.
"I am a burger lover and I have tried many hamburgers around the world, but I have never seen such a pricey one. I mean it's good, but it's not to the level that I would pay over $100 for it," Jeon said.
A 36-year-old food blogger surnamed Jung also agreed that Gordon Ramsay Restaurant's menu is too pricey for its quality.
"Most of the prices of hamburgers at the Gordon Ramsay Restaurant are from the upper 20,000-won range to the low 30,000-won range, which is double the price at local burger restaurants. In terms of taste and quality, I don't think Gordon Ramsay burgers are exceptionally better than other premium burgers here," Jung said.
A 24-year-old college student surnamed Lee said he can't dare to visit the restaurant.
"How can a student afford a street burger that costs nearly 30,000 won? If I go there with my girlfriend, I will have to pay nearly 100,000 won for two hamburgers, a side dish and soda drinks all together. The prices are too expensive, especially in this time of high inflation," Lee said.
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| Gordon Ramsay Restaurant's "1966 Burger" / Courtesy of Gordon Ramsay Korea |
However, Gordon Ramsay brushed off such consumer complaints, Thursday, denying that his hamburger restaurant in Korea is overcharging local customers and claiming that its menu items use only the finest ingredients.
"We use the best food materials of butter, brioche buns and patties. I wanted to introduce special menus in Korea as our brand is more competitive than others," said Ramsay during his visit to Seoul on Nov. 11. "We could have used frozen ingredients to reduce the price of our burgers, but I think the premium marketing strategy worked."
Still, local food industry sources believe that the Gordon Ramsay Restaurant is ripping off customers here.
"The price of single burger cannot go up to 140,000 won even if it uses the finest ingredients that are very expensive. Restaurant owners never say they use cheap ingredients," a local burger franchise firm official said.
"In general, the cost of the ingredients at a normal restaurant amounts to between 30 and 35 percent of the food's price, at most. I don't know how much of a margin the Gordon Ramsay Restaurant is making, but they are definitely charging a lot," the official said.
Meanwhile, Ramsay opened a new street pizza restaurant in Seoul on Oct. 28. It is the sixth pizza restaurant the chef has opened in the world and his second in Asia. It costs 29,800 won per person to enjoy trying all the items on the menu for an hour and half.
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