With the recent rise in popularity of lean, high-protein foods, fresh vegetables and salads, and quick, grab-and-go, sandwich and salad shops are popping up all over the place. While their upscale menu tempts consumers, their high prices are a major obstacle to their growth. 

The nation’s first 24-hour unmanned salad cafeteria sets the stage for the latest startup trend

If the latest food trend is “healthy and affordable food”, the latest startup trend is “small capital startup”. And we can add one more to this list: unmanned vending systems. Fresh Credit, a 24-hour unmanned salad cafeteria, offers customers delicious and healthy food at affordable prices, with the slogan “Fill up and go light”. It combines elements of all three of the aforementioned trends. For starters, Fresh Credit’s food is healthy and affordable. And because it’s unmanned, there are no labor costs, which can be traced back to the Tom Fresh Group’s corporate structure. Tom Fresh Group was started by Top Agriculture, a wholesale and distribution company. Top Agriculture is a company that wholesale produce and vegetables from Garak Market and distributes them nationwide, and its sales are among the top three in Garak Market. Another affiliate, Fresh Credit, uses the finest ingredients from top farmers to produce juices, salads, and sandwiches in HACCP-certified, hygienic facilities for Fresh Credit stores. From Fresh Credit’s perspective, they are getting food made with the highest quality ingredients at a lower price than anywhere else. Naturally, Fresh Credit only sells food that is affordable, healthy, hygienic, and delicious. 

Salads, sandwiches, juices, and other healthy food options for the modern man...all at an affordable price!

You’ll also find popular online products like chicken breasts, dairy, low-carb snacks, and HMR in-store

Fresh Credit has a wide variety of food products. From salads and sandwiches, to juices and beverages (like coffee), cups of fruit, and fruit bento boxes, they offer a wide variety of food options for busy people. There are more than 10 types of sandwiches and salads, the most popular menu items, and they rotate their menu every three months to provide the freshest menu according to the season, so that their loyal customers don’t get bored with the same menu. The ham and egg sandwich and the egg mayo sandwich are the most representative sandwiches on the menu, and the carrot rappe sandwich has recently become a favorite. In addition, there are more than 10 types of sandwiches, including chicken breast steak sandwich, fresh basil bulgogi sandwich, and ricotta cranberry sandwich, and more than 10 types of salads, including avocado Cobb salad, shrimp Cobb salad, chicken breast salad, and crisp salad. The bento boxes are always filled with fresh, healthy fruit, including watermelon, peaches, grapes, strawberries, and kiwi, and the beverage section offers a variety of fruit drinks, including freshly squeezed juices and coffee. All of these fresh and healthy options are very affordable, and the store is quickly gaining a loyal following. In recent years, the menu has become even more diverse. The store now sells many of the same foods that are popular online, including carefully selected chicken breasts, dairy products, low-carbon snacks, and HMR products, including pasta, in-store, and has also added hot soup to its menu for the cold winter months. 

Started with a small capital of 5000~6000 million won, and sold 500 million won in daily sales at a petite store in Samseong-dong

Fresh Credit currently has 36 stores. The stores are mainly located around Gangnam and Teheran-ro, and the most representative store, the Samseong store, has become so popular that it has a daily sales of 5 million won despite its small size of only petite size. The start-up cost for a 33 square meter shop is very low, around 5 to 6 million won (including interior, refrigerators and freezers, air conditioners, and signage). It is also unmanned, so there is no burden on labor costs, and there is currently no royalty paid by franchisees. Most of them are operated as road shops, but in special cases, they are also operated as shop in shop. A representative shop-in-shop store is the one operating inside Bizek World Fitness in Yeoksam-dong. Fresh Credit is currently growing rapidly in the number of franchisees. The company’s primary goal is to open up to 100 stores this year, up from 50. Especially after the last startup fair, the number of business inquiries has exploded. Fesh Credit CEO Seo Young-gyun said “Anyone can succeed in an office district with a high concentration of professionals, a high concentration of single-person households, and a high number of sports facilities.”

’Convenience store eat-alone is NO, fresh credit eat-alone is OK’, salad cafe most loved by young customers

With a nationwide distribution network and rising brand power, the company will continue to grow with merchants

One of the best things about Fresh Credit is that it’s a great environment for solo diners. The flavors are basic, the food is healthy and simple, and it’s unmanned 24 hours a day, so it’s easy to feel comfortable coming in at any time. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see solo diners in Fresh Credit, with regular solo diners saying, “I used to be very reluctant to eat alone at convenience stores, but at Fresh Credit, I don’t feel bad about eating alone at all.” Another characteristic of Fresh Credit is that its customer base is dominated by young people in their 20s and 30s. The percentage of female customers is higher than that of male customers, as women are more diet-conscious, as they are the ones who are most sensitive to the latest trends in healthy and affordable convenience food. However, in recent years, the number of customers in their 40s has been increasing, which shows that the trend of healthy food is spreading to all age groups. With this rapid penetration into the market, Fresh Credit plans to expand its stores nationwide and further enhance its brand power to ensure continued growth for both franchisees and the company. CEO Seo said “The systematic aspects are complete. In the future, we plan to focus more on brand marketing. Increasing the brand’s name recognition is directly related to the success of our franchisees. Our goal is to establish a base for a nationwide business and grow into the best salad brand in the nation.”