CJ ENM’s Street Restaurant Fighter has been nominated for the Realscreen Awards, an international awards program honoring excellence in non-fiction programming, marking a milestone for the company’s original unscripted content on the global stage.
The series, which concluded its run in September, was directed by Woo-hyung Lee and Man-hee Kim. Street Restaurant Fighter is a real-world business survival competition that pits 20 top chefs and restaurateurs against one another, with customers deciding who stays in the competition and who is eliminated. Moving beyond conventional cooking competitions that focus primarily on culinary skills, the series explores the realities of running a food business, from analyzing commercial districts and calculating food costs to designing interiors and developing sales strategies. Its realistic portrayal of the challenges of entrepreneurship, combined with the contestants’ determination and unexpected twists, offers a fresh take on competition programming.
The series’ distinctive concept has also attracted international industry attention. Street Restaurant Fighter has been nominated in the Competition – Lifestyle category at the Realscreen Awards, which recognizes outstanding non-fiction programming. The awards bring together industry professionals from broadcasters, production companies and content distributors to evaluate programs across a range of categories. By moving beyond the conventions of traditional cooking competitions and placing real-world business decisions at the heart of the format, Street Restaurant Fighter offers a distinctive viewing experience for audiences worldwide.
The nomination follows the Realscreen Awards win by <Kiss the Future>, a documentary produced by CJ ENM’s global studio FIFTH SEASON, in the Non-Fiction Arts & Culture category last year. <Street Restaurant Fighter> marks the first nomination for a CJ ENM-produced original series at the awards. The recognition highlights CJ ENM’s ability to develop original unscripted formats with international appeal, supported by its distinctive concepts and strong production capabilities. It also underscores the potential of Korean unscripted programming to resonate with industry professionals beyond its home market.
Woo-hyung Lee, executive producer at CJ ENM, said, “We wanted to take a different approach by moving beyond traditional cooking competitions that focus solely on culinary skills and capturing the realities of running a business in Korea. I’m delighted that audiences around the world have connected with this fresh approach and become immersed in the series. CJ ENM has a diverse slate of reality programming, and I hope to see more of our content reach and resonate with audiences worldwide.”
