The Jeju Songdang Park R branch in Jeju City, considered the first repositioning store of the Starbucks Reserve brand, is a famous attraction visited by an average of 2,000 people per day on weekends. Visitors are amazed by the size of the store, which is the largest in Korea (1,200 m2, 340 seats), and also by the special menu that can only be enjoyed at this store.
At Jeju Songdang Park R branch, you can sample specialty food and drinks in Jeju colors, such as Jeju Palsak Sorbet Physio and Queen Amang Omegi Sandwich. We recently met with Kim Chung-hoe, partner of the food team, and Heo Seul-ah, partner of the beverage team, who developed these menus, at Starbucks Support Center (equivalent to headquarters) in Jung-gu, Seoul.
Partner Kim’s daily routine starts early in the morning when he buys a new menu item from a Starbucks store near his home and heads to work. “I buy menus from the perspective of real customers and think about whether the quality is good and what points of improvement there are. For bread and sandwiches, there are times when I try 30 different menu items in the morning alone.”
Before a new menu item appears in a Starbucks store, it goes through numerous steps, including ingredient research and recipe development, expert evaluations and confirmation of factory production samples. Fixing and complementing are repeated. Partner Kim hinted that in some cases it takes two years to launch a new menu. In the case of fruits, if you miss the season, you have to wait until next year.
“Even as we prepare to launch a new menu, I feel that trends change rapidly and we need a pioneering plan. You need to make a plan to secure supplies in advance according to the material production period and prepare for variables that may affect supply. It is also important to understand trends overseas as befits a global brand.”
Although they are veteran researchers who have created various menus, it is said that there were many difficulties in developing specialty drinks for Jeju branch Songdang Park R. Jeju specialty drinks were already available in stores, and incorporating the reserve sensitivity was also a challenge. The development team visited bakeries and markets across Jeju to inspect food ingredients. The fruit that caught Partner Heo’s attention was Palsak. Palsak, a citrus fruit, is called “Jeju grapefruit.” “Palsak, which has hard pulp, is less bitter and sweeter than grapefruit. We decided to use it as the main ingredient because we felt it was an unfamiliar ingredient to consumers outside the Jeju region.”
Jeju Palsac & Grapefruit Honey Black Tea and Ddolro Mascarpone Bread, which were created through the two partners’ research, are so popular that more than 100 units are sold per day. Partner Kim says he feels especially proud when store employees recognize new menu items. “When our partners predicted it would sell well, we actually had a lot of customers. I consider it my role to support our partners across the country.”
Starbucks plans to continue releasing exclusive menus for Reserve stores. The two partners briefly hinted that it would be fun to visit Starbucks stores that sell special menu items such as ‘Makgeolli-flavored Cream Cold Brew’ and ‘Injeolmi Cream Latte.’ “There are menus that are Starbucks versions of ingredients that are wildly popular among young consumers on social media. “It’s a great motivation to see the menu we created become content and receive a positive response.”
Reporter Kim Seong-hoon hunhun@kmib.co.kr
