Lee Young-ji Waives the Burger Bill After Undercooked Patty on 'Space Rice Cake Shop' Finale

Singer Lee Young-ji declared that she would not charge for a beef burger after she realised its patty had not been cooked through. Her honest apology during the last dinner service of the Seoul restaurant on tvN's 'Space Rice Cake Shop' left a warm impression.

An apology before any excuse

The episode aired on the 16th. Lee Eun-ji, Mimi of Oh My Girl, Lee Young-ji, An Yu-jin of IVE and Do Kyung-soo of EXO took part in the final evening of a restaurant that began in Goseong, Gangwon Province, and moved on to Seoul. The members were busy greeting customers on the closing day, but an unexpected cooking problem briefly brought tension to the floor.

When Lee Young-ji belatedly realised that the patty served to a customer was not fully cooked, she went straight to the table. Bowing her head, she called it "entirely our fault" and promised to "cook it again right away." She did not make excuses or play the problem down. She admitted the error clearly and offered a fix first.

Back in the kitchen, she blamed herself for misjudging the cooking time. Encouraged by Mimi, she focused on preparing the replacement. She also made a complimentary shrimp burger and brought it to the customer, going beyond swapping the faulty dish to make up in some way for the inconvenience.

Paying for the mistake

Lee Young-ji stressed that she had cooked the patty for exactly 6 minutes 30 seconds as she settled the matter, and in the end said she would not charge for the beef burger. Mistakes can happen to anyone during service, but what follows depends on attitude. After admitting fault and apologising, she accepted the financial cost too, showing sincerity toward the customer. In that moment her attitude toward the error stood out more than her quick tongue or comic instincts.

The finale showed that what matters in running a food business is not only cooking skill or sales. Her sincere apology and practical compensation, without turning away from the customer's discomfort, left a warm afterglow on the close of the gruelling restaurant run.

Do Kyung-soo gets recruited, and the takings get counted

Once the tension passed, the members' usual cheerful mood returned. They launched a full-scale recruitment campaign aimed at Do Kyung-soo, who had come to lend a hand. Lee Eun-ji and Mimi said they were pleased that his arrival made the floor more relaxed, and An Yu-jin held him back, telling him to help with dinner preparation before leaving. Lee Young-ji added to the persuasion by mentioning the number of dough balls written in the contract.

Do Kyung-soo pushed back by pointing out that he had lost the competition, but the members' fierce protests turned the scene into gales of laughter. Lee Eun-ji then led a song by Do Kyung-soo, the others sang along, and they made finger hearts. Lee Young-ji, who had first hesitated while sitting on the floor, joined the heart line late, showing the close chemistry of a team about to start its last service.

With the whole run from Goseong, Gangwon Province, to Seoul complete, the members shared bittersweet feelings. Lee Eun-ji calculated the total sales and predicted that roughly 100,000 won per person would be left. Lee Young-ji, who had endured the hard labour, flared up, then joked that she would settle for one ice cream and one pot of tteokbokki, a frank demand for realistic compensation that showed off her comic touch to the end.

Read the original (Korean)