CatchTable

CatchTable, operated by Wad (CEO Yong Tae-sun), an integrated solutions company specializing in the dining industry, released a report analyzing changes in dining-out consumption trends before and after the airing of Season 2 of the Netflix cooking survival variety show ‘Black-and-White Chef: Culinary Class War(Hereinafter, Black-and-White Chef)’.

Black-and-White Chef is a cooking survival program in which master chefs outside the mainstream labeled ‘black spoons’ compete against top star chefs labeled ‘white spoons’. Season 2, which concluded on the 13th, drew major attention following Season 1, and the buzz has continued even after the finale.

Using the release date of Black-and-White Chef Season 2 as the reference point, CatchTable analyzed app usage data from before the broadcast (25/11/4~25/12/15) and after (25/12/16~26/1/13). Based on five-week comparison data from before and after the broadcast, it shed light on how buzz from the show flowed into actual consumer dining choices and reservations along the culinary journey.

■ From chefs to restaurants.. a map of interest in Black-and-White Chef seen through search data

An analysis of search data from before and after the broadcast showed that viewer interest did not stop at simply watching, but extended to active exploration of specific chefs and restaurants. The chef search ranking appeared as △Okdongsik △Choi Kang-rok △Son Jong-won △Sam Kim △Jung Ho-young. For restaurant searches, △Itanic Garden (Son Jong-won) △Lamansikre (Son Jong-won) △Okdongsik (Pig Bone Soup That Went to New York) △Yunjudang (Brewer Yunjumo) △Donggyeong Bapsang Main Branch (Buchaedosa) ranked near the top.

■ ‘Pubs and bars’ search volume surges 52%.. interest expands beyond fine dining into ‘everyday dining-out’

Changes in search volume by menu category also stand out. After the broadcast, search volume for the ‘Pubs and bars’ category rose 52.12% versus before, marking the largest increase. Alongside this, steady increases were observed across accessible dining and casual dining overall, including △Bunsik (35.80%) △Western cuisine (25.98%) △Pasta (16.80%).

This shows that dishes featured this season were not limited to fine dining but expanded across everyday dining menus, effectively prompting consumer interest. The search data confirms a flow in which, after consuming the content, viewers explored various menus from the program while considering actual dining choices.

■ ‘Interest’ to ‘Visits’.. number of reservation∙waiting-list users for restaurants of Black-and-White Chef contestants up about 303%

The change was clear in reservation data, a direct behavior indicator. Despite intense year-end competition for bookings, the number of users making reservations and joining waiting lists for restaurants related to Black-and-White Chef increased by an average of 303.32% per restaurant. Top restaurants by number of reservations included △Osteria Sam Kim (Sam Kim) △Doughroom Gwanghwamun (Lee Jun) △Egg and Flower (Kim Hee-eun) △Kongdu Myeong-dong (Park Hyo-nam) △Hikarimono (Kalmakase), illustrating how post-broadcast visit demand translated into actual bookings.

During the Season 2 airing period, restaurants high in waiting-list activity included △Donggyeong Bapsang Jeju Branch (Buchaedosa) △Saem Saem Saem (Trend King) △Mutan COEX Branch (Crossing the Line Jjajang) △Okdongsik Songpa Hanam Branch (Pig Bone Soup That Went to New York) △Heki (Line Forming Pork Cutlet), indicating that viewers actively searched for concrete information such as menus and locations centered on restaurants of interest.

■ “Maybe try booking later”.. interest that led to ‘Save’

As it became harder to book restaurants run by chefs appearing on Black-and-White Chef, a marked trend emerged in which viewers saved restaurants as places ‘to visit later’. In fact, the average increase rate in saves per restaurant reached about 1,381%. In particular, during the seven days right after the broadcast, the restaurants with the largest spikes in saves repeatedly included △Yunjudang △Itanic Garden, suggesting that interest in the program quickly converted into action right after viewing.

CatchTable CEO Yong Tae-sun said, “Through data analysis, we were able to confirm that broadcast content led to search-save-reservation, having a tangible impact on the dining industry” and added, “As the leading platform for the restaurant business, CatchTable plans to continue releasing insights that analyze dining trends and changes in consumer behavior based on data”.