There are restaurants near the university that have become part of SeoulTech students’ daily lives. They are places where students go to grab a meal with friends after class or stop by when they are short on time. While these restaurants are familiar and comfortable for students, the facilities may become outdated, and it can be challenging to keep pace with evolving student habits and preferences.

Daesang Group runs the “Youth Meal” project to support small, long-standing restaurants near university campuses. The program selects restaurants that are popular among students and helps improve their facilities and operations. It aims to make these restaurants more enjoyable and affordable for st udents.

Burger to Burger, located near SeoulTech, was recently selected for the project. After years of serving SeoulTech students, the restaurant underwent a series of changes with the help of Hankki-hasam, Team 3 of the 9th Daesang University Volunteer Program. The SeoulTech spoke with the team leader and the owner of Burger to Burger to learn more about how the project came together and what changed along the way.

Starting with Students’ Voices

The first thing Team 3 did was listen to the students. The team conducted three in-person surveys and two online surveys with students who had visited Burger to Burger. The concerns students brought up were mostly simple. Many students ate alone there and wanted a more comfortable place to do so. Others found it difficult to take in the restaurant’s many burger options at a glance. Some also felt that the restaurant was too dark and that its aging walls and flooring raised concerns about cleanliness.

Team 3 turned those comments into concrete changes. New seats for solo diners were added, and the menu was reorganized to make it easier to read. The lighting was improved, while the walls and flooring were also renovated. Rather than focusing only on making the restaurant look better, the team prioritized addressing the inconveniences students had actually experienced.

Team leader Gawon Lee said one of the most meaningful parts of the project was seeing students’ opinions become changes. Instead of starting with closed questions, the team listened to students and gradually figured out what the restaurant needed.

Turning Ideas into Reality

Putting those ideas into practice took more time than expected. Throughout March, Team 3 visited Burger to Burger two or three times a week as they prepared their project proposal. They spoke with the owner about how the restaurant was run and looked closely at what could be improved.

The students’ vision for the space, the owner’s needs as someone who worked there every day, and the interior company’s suggestions did not always align. The team therefore went through the process several times, creating proposals, checking them against student feedback, and discussing adjustments with the owner.

The Owner’s Take on the Changes

For the owner of Burger to Burger, the changes were something he had been considering for a long time. After running the restaurant since 2011, he had noticed that the facilities were aging and that there were many things that needed fixing. When he was approached about the “Youth Meal” project, he readily agreed to take part.

At first, he did not have particularly high expectations. The students were not professional interior designers, after all. But once they began working together, he was surprised by how many different ideas they brought to the table. Eventually, he decided to leave most of the interior-related decisions to them.

When he first saw the renovated restaurant, the brighter atmosphere was what stood out most. He was also pleased with the overall atmosphere, which he felt suited younger customers. Regulars who visited after the renovation also responded positively, which pleased him.

Still, the owner said the most important thing is the taste of the burgers. He wants students who have been visiting Burger to Burger for years to remember it for its familiar taste, so using good ingredients and making a good burger are his top priorities. Keeping prices affordable for students is also important to him.

Restaurant As Part of Student Life

Lee said restaurants near university campuses are more than just places to eat. They are places where students have meals with friends after class, take a short break on their own, and talk about exams or assignments. Over time, these ordinary moments become part of student life.

Burger to Burger is one such place. The owner said that former students often return to the restaurant even after graduating. Seeing them come back and remember their university days is one of the most rewarding parts of running the restaurant for so long.

He also has a clear idea of what a university-area restaurant should be. It should offer students a meal they can afford while keeping up with the tastes and trends of younger customers. He hopes SeoulTech students will remember Burger to Burger as “a welcoming place that provides a hearty meal.” After spending so many years serving students, he wants it to remain a place where they can stop by without hesitation, enjoy a good meal, and leave with a good memory.

The SeoulTech hopes that the newly renovated Burger to Burger will continue to be part of SeoulTech students’ everyday lives, becoming a place where new memories are made.



Hankki-hasam, Team 3 of the 9th Daesang University Volunteer Program



Reporters

Hyeonseon Namgung

namgung0121@seoultech.ac.kr

Hayeon Cha

yeongcha@seoultech.ac.kr

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