“They Even Stopped the Baby from Eating Tteokppong”⋯ Strict Employee at Jeju Barbecue Restaurant Enforced Ban on Outside Food [What Do You Think?]

[Financial News] A story has sparked controversy after a barbecue restaurant on Jeju Island reportedly stopped a customer from feeding an infant even a puffed-rice snack, treating it as outside food.

On the 8th, a post containing this account was uploaded to Threads.
The author, identified only as A, wrote, “I was eating black pork on Jeju Island when someone suddenly came over and said, ‘The baby’s tteokppong is also outside food, so don’t feed it to the baby.’ I was so dumbfounded that I didn’t even want to eat, and the baby cried terribly.”
Tteokppong is a puffed-rice snack for infants. Babies hold it in their hands and let it dissolve with their saliva. Despite the declining number of births, its sales have continued to rise, establishing it as a “national baby snack.”
A later posted a review of the visit on the reservation app CATCHTABLE, but said the review was made private after the restaurant reported it.
A added, “I don’t think I’ll ever have a reason to go to Jeju Island again.” The post received about 3,400 likes and more than 500 comments.

As the controversy spread, Restaurant A posted a direct reply to the post to explain its position.
Restaurant A stated, “Considering the various accounts and the circumstances at the time, we believe that some on-site staff members failed to recognize tteokppong as an infant snack and mistakenly treated it as ordinary outside food, giving incorrect guidance.”
It continued, “We are not a restaurant that prohibits children from eating tteokppong. We have operated while providing baby food, high chairs, and even a microwave for warming baby food. Nevertheless, if such guidance was given on-site, it is our responsibility for failing to sufficiently share and train staff on our operating standards.”
Regarding the decision to report the review, the restaurant also apologized, saying, “As the post became public faster than expected, we were concerned about its impact on the brand and Jeju’s restaurant industry, and we responded too quickly before sufficiently examining the facts. We are also sorry for prematurely judging the author’s intentions and reaching a conclusion about the facts too quickly.”

Soon after the story became known, internet users said the restriction was excessive, commenting, “Isn’t tteokppong something a baby that can’t even walk yet eats?”, “Tteokppong is basically a pacifier to keep a baby quiet, and they’re banning that too?”, and “Banning tteokppong was a bit much. They have no flexibility.”
Similar accounts followed. One internet user said, “At the place I went to, they counted even a child under two as one person and told us to order one dish. How much could a baby possibly eat? That was also on Jeju Island.”
After Restaurant A’s explanation was posted, however, some called for restraint in criticizing the restaurant, saying, “It seems like it was simply a mistake at a place that even provides food for babies,” and “It was an inexperienced employee’s lack of flexibility, but the witch hunt is excessive.”
[email protected] Minseo Seong Reporter