When Trader Joe’s introduced its own rendition of kimbap only a few months ago, people on the internet went berserk. Those who grew up eating kimbap — a traditional Korean dish often made from cooked rice, vegetables, fish, and meat rolled in dried sheets of seaweed (also known as gim) — found comfort in TJ’s vegan offering. On the flip side, those who were just trying it for the very first time found their new favorite, simple weeknight meal.
It didn’t take long for TJ’s kimbap to go viral across social media, namely on TikTok. And like clockwork, news broke out that the $3.99 Korean rolls were slowly selling out before they were officially declared out of stock until at least October. Many people were gravely disappointed: “Guys please stop buying the frozen kimbap…” wrote one user on a subreddit dedicated to the product. “I have been going every day to buy some and they have been sold out EVERY DAY.” But a few were hopeful that it would return soon.
