"Sit Here and Get Rich?" The Table Where Jensen Huang Sat Still Draws Crowds After 7 Months

A Chicken Restaurant in Samseong-dong Draws Crowds from Across Korea and Abroad
Spotlight Returns with Jensen Huang’s June Visit
Appearance on “You Quiz” and First Pitch at Jamsil Also Making Headlines

The table at the chicken restaurant where Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang once sat has become a unique attraction in Seoul for seven consecutive months. Since last year’s “chimaek” (chicken and beer) gathering between Jay Y. Lee, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, Euisun Chung, Executive Chair of Hyundai Motor Group, and Jensen Huang at the Kanbu Chicken Samseong branch, the restaurant continues to draw a steady stream of customers hoping to catch some of its “wealthy energy.”

Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee (from left), Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung, and Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, are having a "chimaek" meeting at a chicken restaurant in Samseong-dong, Seoul on the evening of the 30th. 2025.10.30 Photo by Yongjun Cho

On June 5, Yonhap News reported that even seven months after the “chimaek meeting,” the table where the gathering took place is still so popular that people line up before opening hours to secure a spot. In particular, the window seat at Kanbu Chicken Samseong branch where Jensen Huang sat last year is now known among patrons as a “seat for good fortune.” With Huang’s return to Korea in June, this “lucky spot” has once again captured public attention.

On October 30 of last year, the three leaders spent relaxed time together at Kanbu Chicken’s Samseong branch in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, sitting around chicken and beer. The sight of a global AI semiconductor leader and the heads of Korea’s top companies sitting side by side at a neighborhood chicken restaurant quickly became a hot topic. Since then, the restaurant has become more than just an eatery; it is now referred to as the “AI Kanbu shrine” and the “seat of prosperous energy.”

Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee (left), Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung are taking a commemorative photo after finishing a 'chimaek' meeting at a chicken restaurant in Samseong-dong, Seoul on the evening of the 30th. Photo by Jo Yongjun

The greatest attention is focused on the window table where Huang sat. The restaurant has marked the seats where the three leaders sat with company logos, and photos from the gathering are displayed on the surrounding walls. Customers often take photos holding beer glasses at the table, or if they can’t sit there, they will pose for a photo next to it.

Due to the overwhelming demand, the restaurant has limited the time at this table to one hour per group. On weekends and in the evenings, people queue for a chance to sit there, and even guests at other tables keep a close watch, waiting for the window seat to become available.

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, is eating chicken at Kkanbu Chicken near Samsung Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the evening of the 30th, during a meeting with Jay Y. Lee, Chairman of Samsung Group, and Euisun Chung, Executive Chair of Hyundai Motor Group. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Some patrons come to the restaurant saying, “If I sit there, my stock returns might go up,” or, “I want to receive good energy.” According to the restaurant, there have been several inquiries from people wanting to purchase the entire table where Jensen Huang sat. Naturally, these requests have been politely declined.

Customers: “I feel like something good will happen if I sit at that table”

Visitors each have their own reasons for coming. These include office workers hoping for investment success, parents traveling long distances for their children preparing for job interviews, and even fans dressed like Jensen Huang in a leather jacket and thick-rimmed glasses. Scenes of people quietly praying over their chicken or clasping hands for a photo by the table have become a familiar sight.

This “Jensen Huang effect” is not limited to Korean customers. Tourists from Taiwan, China, Mexico, and other countries also visit the restaurant after reading news reports of the chimaek gathering in English and Chinese. They record videos in front of the wall photos and smile for commemorative pictures at Huang’s former seat. Among visitors from the AI and semiconductor industries, this spot has become a must-see stop while in Seoul.

Samsung Group Chairman Jay Y. Lee is revealing the gift he received during a chicken dinner meeting with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang at Kanbuchicken, near Samsung Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 30th. Photo by Yongjun Cho

The restaurant’s atmosphere has also changed. Instead of the occasional quarrels between intoxicated guests typical at chicken and beer places, here it is more common to see strangers’ tables toasting each other or offering to take each other’s photos. Recollections of Huang handing out gifts and mingling freely with customers have even inspired more “golden bell” moments, where patrons pay for other tables’ bills.

With news of Huang’s return to Korea, the table is once again in the spotlight. During this visit, Huang is scheduled to appear on the tvN variety show “You Quiz on the Block,” where he will meet hosts Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho—a rare move for the head of a global AI company. On June 7, he will also throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears home game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Park Jeong-won, Chairman of Doosan Group, will serve as the ceremonial batter. Huang is expected to wear the number 93 jersey, symbolizing Nvidia’s founding year of 1993.

Business Community and Public Wonder: Will There Be Another “Jensen Huang Hot Spot”?

The business community and the public are curious whether another “Jensen Huang hot spot” will be created. On the evening of June 5, Huang is reportedly planning a “Samso gathering”—a dinner of pork belly and soju—with Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group; Euisun Chung, Executive Chair of Hyundai Motor Group; Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group; and Lee Hae-jin, Founder of Naver, at a restaurant in downtown Seoul. While Seongsu-dong was initially mentioned, recently popular districts such as Hongdae or Euljiro have also been suggested as possible locations.

On the 30th, near Kanbu Chicken in Samseong-dong, Seoul, the gathering of Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, with Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, drew crowds of reporters and citizens. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Some customers are already saying, “If the location of the samgyeopsal gathering is revealed after the chimaek meeting, a ‘Jensen Huang food tour’ might form.” In fact, Kanbu Chicken Samseong branch has already become more of an experiential destination than just a chicken restaurant. Patrons now ask, “What did the chairmen eat that day?” before inquiring about the menu, and “Can I sit at that table?” has become more important than the bill itself.

On one side of the restaurant’s fridge, there is even Jensen Huang’s autograph. The story goes that it was hurriedly signed on a piece of paper fetched from the kitchen, adding to the lore of the place. For the restaurant, this has brought a publicity effect that would be hard to achieve even with tens of billions of won in advertising. However, the heart of this phenomenon is not simply a celebrity visit. What captivates people is that a leading figure of the AI era sat at a humble chimaek table with Korea’s top business leaders, and that the “lucky seat” is at a neighborhood eatery anyone can visit.

The small window table in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, has become a place not just for eating chicken, but for wishing for hope, imagining success, and taking commemorative photos. As Jensen Huang returns to Korea this June, the public’s attention is once again on that table—and on which Seoul restaurant might become the next “Jensen Huang seat.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.