Donkatsu at 11,454 Won, Walnut Pastries at 5,420 Won... Even Meals at Highway Rest Stops Become a Burden

Food Prices at Highway Rest Areas Soar Over the Past Five Years
Donkatsu Sees the Highest Price Increase Among Items Surveyed

In the lead-up to the Chuseok holiday, prices of popular food items sold at highway rest stops have seen a significant increase over the past five years. The prices of donkatsu and walnut pastries have risen by over 20%, and the average price of bibimbap has now exceeded 10,000 won.

According to Yonhap News Agency on September 20, Assemblyman Hwang Hee of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee cited data submitted by Korea Expressway Corporation, reporting that as of August this year, the average selling price of donkatsu at highway rest areas nationwide stood at 11,454 won. This is an increase of 2,470 won (27.5%) compared to August 2021, when it was 8,984 won. Donkatsu showed the highest rate of increase among the 10 items surveyed.

The price of walnut pastries, a representative rest area snack, also rose by 23.4% compared to five years ago. The average price went up by over 1,000 won—from 4,391 won to 5,420 won. Americano coffee also increased by 19.2%, from 4,066 won to 4,845 won, nearing the 5,000 won mark.

The average selling price of pork cutlets, one of the main foods at highway rest stops, has increased by 27.5% over the past five years. Yonhap News Agency

Meal prices saw a particularly notable rise as well. Bibimbap increased by 18.4%, from 8,504 won to 10,068 won, pushing the average price past 10,000 won. Gukbap also rose by 18.4%, while tteokkochi (rice cake skewers) went up by 18.5%, hot dogs by 15.5%, udon by 12.9%, and cafe lattes by 11.0%, with all these items recording double-digit increases. Ramen increased by 7.0% to 4,781 won, which was the smallest rise among the items surveyed.

In the past year alone, prices for some items continued to climb. Walnut pastries increased by 7.3% compared to the same period last year, while tteokkochi and hot dogs rose by 6.6% and 4.2%, respectively. The price of squid also continued to rise, approaching an average of 9,000 won.

Assemblyman Hwang pointed out, "Highway rest stops are places where drivers find it difficult to seek out alternatives even when prices are a burden," adding that "innovation in rest stop services by the government must lead to tangible improvements in both pricing and quality."

Meanwhile, coffee was found to be the best-selling item at rest areas. During this year’s Lunar New Year holiday from February 15 to 19, a total of 626,000 cups of Americano were sold at rest areas nationwide, topping the list. Snacks followed with 439,000 sold, walnut pastries with 374,000, coffee drinks with 333,000, and ramen with 311,000.

In terms of sales revenue, Americano also ranked first, bringing in 2.96 billion won, followed by donkatsu at 2.01 billion won and walnut pastries at 1.96 billion won.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.