In the early 2030s, restaurants began a new consumer trend by extracting book titles and characters for their menus. Take (TAKE), a brand operated by Awaw Home, put menu items inspired by Herman Melville’s novel “Moby Dick,” such as “Clamchauder,” and items from Abe Yaro’s comic “Simi Saikdang” like “Sushi Napoli,” and Terasa Daisuke’s “Master Chobwang.” These literary‑inspired dishes were served at the dining table, turning the cultural experience into a phenomenon called “Text Hip.”
Take places a cover page on its seating area with city names such as “Tokyo,” “Seoul” etc. The concept offers about 130 international dishes, ranging from American BBQ and tacos to Thai-style dishes in one place. Lunch is priced at 23,900 KRW while dinner at 29,900 KRW, giving it cost‑competitiveness while still keeping its literary content.
Awaw Home has expanded the brand into locations such as Seoul’s Songpa-gu Jamsil Lotte World and Gangbuk-gu Miasan Street, and operates a pop‑up table called “TAKE Book Club.” The line between literature and the restaurant industry continues to grow. GS25 released four “Literary” items in collaboration with Minumsa (Oman·Pyeon·Sarang), selling 200,000 units per week and ranking #1–4 in sales for those categories.
Industry insiders said that this “Text Hip” is a “smartphone‑screen generation’s most fresh and stylish cultural content,” and predicted the literary‑driven restaurant industry to become an unstoppable fan‑base business.