EXID's Hyelin opens up about running a taco restaurant with monthly sales of W140m

Hyelin of girl group EXID has opened up about the real challenges of running her own taco restaurant.

Hyelin appeared as a guest on the YouTube channel "Chao Room," uploaded Saturday, sharing details about how she started the business and what she has been up to lately.

She described herself as a "multi-jobber" — someone juggling multiple careers — balancing the restaurant with work in musicals, DJ sets and songwriting.

"I had always been very interested in the food and beverage industry," she said. "At a gathering, I happened to meet the owner of a taco place I frequented, and he told me a great spot had opened up in Anguk and suggested we go into business together — so that's how it started."

She also spoke candidly about the difficulties of running a business. "An employee can quit, but if the owner quits, the whole thing falls apart," she said. "Since I'm juggling multiple jobs, it's too much to handle alone, so I have one other person helping me manage things."

She added that the team spirit among her staff has been a bright spot. "Still, the employees are really united — whenever things get tough, they speak up and share a lot of ideas, which I really appreciate," she said.

Asked about the key to her success, Hyelin said location is critical and that margins need to be scrutinized carefully. "Cooking is something I enjoy, so it's fun, but the most difficult parts are practical issues like pricing and the burden of various costs," she said.

"No matter what, you have to factor in prices and all the practical realities," she said, adding with a laugh: "So much money goes into it — it's tough. Please help me."

Hyelin opened the taco restaurant in March and has been running it since. Last month, on a separate YouTube channel, she revealed that sales fluctuate but average 140 million won ($101,000) a month, with net profit coming to 40 million won after all expenses.