Pohang seeks 17 small restaurants for business innovation consulting program

Pohang City is recruiting 17 local food service businesses to participate in its 2026 Business Innovation Food Service Support Program, aimed at helping struggling small restaurant operators strengthen their competitiveness, the city announced Wednesday.

The program is open to small business owners operating general restaurants or snack bars in Pohang.

Applications will be accepted through July 3 via email, mail or in-person submission. Businesses that have completed a food startup incubating program, been designated as a certified safe restaurant or adopted food technology are eligible for bonus points during the selection process.

Selected businesses will receive one-on-one tailored consulting across several areas: business management including profit-and-loss and cost control; marketing covering online and offline promotion and design development; new menu development and recipe training; food technology adoption such as serving robots and kiosks; and legal support covering labor and tax matters.

Interested businesses can find details on the Pohang city government website or the North Gyeongsang Province Economic Promotion Agency website. Additional inquiries can be directed to the Small Business Consulting Center.

"We hope that through tailored consulting, local food service businesses will overcome their management challenges and grow into competitive local dining destinations," said Lee Seong-su, head of Pohang City's food industry division. "We will continue to develop a range of support policies to drive the digital transformation and sustainable growth of the food service industry."