"End of a Fleeting Trend"... Tanghulu Sales Plummet 92%, Franchise Registrations Canceled One After Another This Year

As the Tanghulu trend that heated up the South Korean dessert market over the past few years has completely faded, cancellations of franchise registrations by Tanghulu franchise operators have been occurring every month this year. The related stores, which sprang up like mushrooms after rain driven by explosive demand, now appear to be sinking, leaving only closure notices floating like buoys in the wake of the trend.

Continued Cancellations of Franchise Registrations by Tanghulu Franchise Headquarters

Entering 2026 alone, a series of franchise registration cancellations by Tanghulu brands is being witnessed. Starting with the ex officio cancellation of 'Tangbibi Tanghulu' on February 25, 'Hwangje Tanghulu' voluntarily canceled its franchise registration on April 10. This trend continued into May, as it is confirmed that 'Huiyou (喜YOU) Tanghulu' voluntarily canceled on May 4, and just two days later on May 6, even 'Daedanhan Tanghulu' decided to voluntarily cancel.

In fact, it is not difficult to find posts agonizing over whether to close Tanghulu businesses in online cafes centered on self-employed individuals. Due to the shortened trend cycle, store owners who have been entirely burdened with dead stock processing and cost pressures are unable to decide whether they should close their businesses even now or switch to other trending items.

Wangga Tanghulu with a 92% Plummet in Sales

The biggest causes of this mass exodus and closure of franchises are 'plummeting sales' and a 'trend cycle that has shortened at the speed of light'. In the case of Dalcomnara Alice, which operated the representative Tanghulu brand 'Dalkom Wangga Tanghulu', its sales plummeted by a whopping 92%, going from 86.2 billion won in sales and 19.7 billion won in operating profit in 2023 to 2 billion won in sales and an operating loss of 2.3 billion won in 2025. As the overall Tanghulu trend is dying down and portal search volumes have peaked, sharp declines in sales and franchise registration cancellations for related companies are continuing.

The steep rise in raw material costs is also a factor that has choked franchise owners. As Tanghulu gained explosive popularity, the price of its main ingredient, strawberries (500g), rose by 50% from 10,000 won to 15,000 won, and the price of finished Tanghulu products also more than doubled from 1,500 won to 3,500 won. Specialty stores that opened on the premise of recovering their investments in interior and equipment have been left bearing complete financial losses as the speed at which the trend faded was much faster than the speed at which they could recover their investments.

Agonizing Over How Quickly the New Trend Will Cool Down

Experts point to 'visual consumption' based on social media and short-form content as the background for this phenomenon. This is because consumers consume desserts as props for content to certify that "I tried it too," rather than enjoying them for their taste, and the moment they feel it is no longer 'hip' because everyone is posting the same photos, they immediately turn their backs to a new trend. Evidence of this is that the trend half-life of the recently popular 'Dubai Chewy Cookie (Dujjonku)' was much shorter than that of Tanghulu, and the public's interest immediately shifted to items like 'Bomdong Bibimbap' or 'Butter Tteok'. Recently, 'Eating Frozen Jelly' (Jelly Eolmeok) has become trendy again, making it a fact that it has become quite overwhelming for self-employed individuals to keep up with food culture trends.

In reality, self-employed individuals in the business field are now in a position where they must first calculate how quickly the popularity of a new menu item will cool down, rather than how popular it will become. Criticism is also rising that a business approach of solely chasing short-term trends without the backing of solid core menu competitiveness is practically no different from a dangerous gamble. Amid warning lights flashing for the profitability and stability of the entire food service industry, this series of franchise registration cancellations by Tanghulu franchise operators clearly reveals the bare face of the harsh 'trend risk' that self-employed individuals must bear entirely.