[Edaily Reporter Kim Ji-woo ] People are eating kimchi fried rice at coffee shops and getting by on boxed meals costing less than 5,000 won at convenience stores. This shift in consumer behavior reflects the growing burden of meal costs due to rising dining-out prices. Instead of visiting restaurants and cafes separately, consumers are opting to get both a meal and a drink in one place or simply reducing the amount they spend on each meal.

According to the retail and foodservice industries on the 16th, Mega MGC Coffee’s “MGC Whole Sausage Kimchi Fried Rice,” priced at 4,400 won and launched last April, sold 400,000 units in about three months. It gained popularity on social media (SNS) among students and office workers as an affordable, light meal. Sales of “MGC’s Seasoned Cup Chicken” have also surpassed 700,000 units. Ediya Coffee offers items such as kimchi fried rice and tteokbokki, while The Venti sells rose and mala-flavored tteokbokki, as well as beef rice balls. The Venti has also introduced set menus combining tteokbokki and beverages.

Starbucks is also seeing increased sales of meal-replacement items. From January through September of this year, sandwich sales rose by about 10% compared to the same period last year. Popular items include the “French Onion Melting Cheese Sandwich” (6,900 won) and the “Melting Cheese Bacon Toast” (5,700 won). The company is also running a promotion where customers receive a 2,000-won discount when they purchase a specific sandwich with a beverage each month.

From a café’s perspective, food items serve as a way to broaden the reasons customers visit. This is because cafés can sell meals to customers who came just for coffee or attract new customers specifically looking for a meal. Consumers also benefit from being able to enjoy both a meal and a drink in one place, rather than having to visit a restaurant and a café separately. An industry insider explained, “Selling food items in addition to beverages diversifies the reasons customers visit and increases the average transaction value.”

Demand for value-for-money meals is also prominent at convenience stores. From January through September of this year, sales of ready-to-eat meals—including boxed lunches, gimbap, triangle rice balls, and sandwiches—at GS25, operated by GS Retail, increased by 23.9% compared to the same period last year. During the same period, CU also saw a 13.1% increase in ready-to-eat meal sales. Seven-Eleven also saw sales of triangle rice balls rise by 27% from January through September this year, while sales of sandwiches and boxed lunches increased by 23% and 22%, respectively. E-MART Co., Ltd.’s ready-to-eat meal sales also rose by 13%.

The convenience store industry is rolling out a series of products priced at 5,000 won or less that offer a full meal. GS25 will launch the 4,900-won “Number One Chicken Lunch Box,” featuring chicken, sausage, and salad, on the 21st. 7-Eleven is selling the 4,700-won “Sikyeong Pick Jeonju-style Beef Bibimbap” and the 2,800-won “All-New 2,800 Hearty Kimbap.” E-MART Co., Ltd. has also introduced the 2,800-won “7-Flavor Filling Kimbap,” which contains seven different fillings.

The prices of these convenience store kimbap rolls are lower than those at typical kimbap specialty shops. According to price data from the Korea Consumer Agency, the average price of a single kimbap roll in Seoul last July was 3,869 won, a 6.8% increase from the same month the previous year (3,623 won). This is more than 1,000 won more expensive than the 2,800-won kimbap rolls sold at convenience stores.

Prices for other dining options are also on the rise. Domino’s Pizza raised its pizza prices by an average of 4.4% starting on the 12th. Lotteria raised the prices of 22 individual burger items by an average of 2.9% last May, and The BORN Korea also raised the prices of select menu items across 11 restaurant brands—including Yeokjeon Udon, Mijeong Noodles, Rolling Pasta, and Saemaul Restaurant—by an average of about 11% in June.

As the burden of dining out costs grows, consumers’ meal choices are shifting. For example, people are turning to cafes to enjoy both a meal and a drink in one place, and to convenience stores to get a meal at a relatively low cost. As cafes and convenience stores expand their meal offerings, the line between them and traditional restaurants is gradually blurring.

A retail industry official stated, “Due to rising dining-out prices, consumers are scrutinizing the cost and satisfaction of each meal more carefully,” adding, “Competitive advantage will hinge on how diversely businesses can offer menus that combine reasonable prices with great taste and quality.”