Why a Chicago Restaurant Is Taking Their Most Popular Dish Off the Menu | Eater

"A neighborhood Korean American restaurant by Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark known for its labor-forward approach and a once-signature bacon-, potato-, and scallion-stuffed bing bread that was fried and baked—crispy outside and fluffy inside. The bing was a labor- and time-intensive favorite that required a month of training and daily prep to produce batches of 24, and its pre-pandemic economics were razor-thin (food $5.67, labor $4.65, fixed $4.05 for a $15 price, yielding just $0.63 profit, about 4.2%). Reopening after a renovation and two years of takeout, the owners decided to remove the item rather than shrink wages or compromise quality: they raised line pay and front-of-house salaries (house pay moved from $9/hour plus tips to $25/hour), added a 20% transitional service charge to fund higher wages and benefits, and prioritized creating a more equitable staffing model even though it raises costs and forces difficult menu choices." - Corey Mintz