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Sales of Honey Banana-flavored HBM Chips, a limited-edition snack developed by convenience store chain 7-Eleven and semiconductor manufacturer SK hynix around the high-bandwidth memory concept, surged 704% on June 6-7 compared with a week earlier, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Sales of the chips on June 6 jumped 766% from the previous week after Huang was seen distributing them to the public. Searches for HBM Chips on 7-Eleven’s mobile app also increased 160-fold the same day.

“HBM chips are a limited-edition product, and we are reviewing whether to produce more,” a 7-Eleven official said.

Sales of Binggrae Banana Flavored Milk and Paldo’s Vilac Co. Sikhye, which Huang also handed out to citizens, rose 12% and 13%, respectively, on June 6 compared to a week earlier, according to local outlet Chosun Biz.

On June 5, Huang attended a dinner gathering with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin at a grilled pork restaurant in Seoul’s Hongdae District.

He later visited BBQ Hongdae Entrance branch, where he ate fried chicken and drank draft beer before distributing HBM Chips and other snacks to passersby. Over the weekend, he was also seen dining at knife-cut noodle, ginseng chicken soup and cold noodle restaurants in Seoul.

Sites visited by Huang have since attracted increased interest from customers. Visitors from South Korea and abroad have reportedly asked about the seat he used, the dishes he ordered and the autographs he left at the venues.

Restaurant chain Genesis BBQ Group said sales at the Hongdae branch Huang visited rose more than 20% during June 5-7 compared to a week earlier.

At Jamsil Baseball Stadium on June 7, where Huang threw the ceremonial first pitch, Nvidia ordered 113 boxes of Genesis BBQ’s Crunch Boneless Cracker chicken for a group of audience.

“We are currently preparing to launch set menus and promotions, including the dishes he ate with business leaders and the items ordered at the ballpark,” a company official said.

World’s 8th richest billionaire Jensen Huang boost sales for food featured in viral dining tour acro

Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer studies at Inha University in Incheon City, said: “When it becomes known what a celebrity eats and where they visit, consumers want to try that experience themselves. The tendency grows especially when it is something they can easily do.

“The very process of eating the same menu and visiting the same space becomes an experience, which keeps interest going.”

Nvidia is currently the world’s most valuable company, with a market capitalization of over US$5 trillion. Huang, who wrapped up his five-day visit to South Korea on Tuesday, is the world’s eighth-richest person, with an estimated net worth of $180.3 billion as of June 9, according to Forbes.