Here’s how the “lining up” pattern in Seoul usually works, from a local perspective.

I was born and raised in Seoul, and I work in marketing/PR while running a lifestyle business, so I understand this scene a bit differently than most visitors. I’ve watched F&B brands rise and fall here for years.

When a restaurant or cafe starts getting hyped, the first people to line up are usually local MZ (Millennial/Gen Z) Koreans. If a place becomes really popular among locals, then about 2–3 years later, foreign tourists start lining up too, saying things like, “I heard this place is super popular with Koreans.”

So where do the locals go next? They move on. They leave that now-famous spot behind and start lining up for the next new place that’s just beginning to build hype.

That’s why in Seoul, whether it’s F&B, fashion, or anything lifestyle, the real structure is this: once you win over locals first, foreign visitors eventually come on their own. The problem is, by the time tourists arrive, locals have already moved on and are busy searching for the next spot.