"We've gone this far to save on lunch"... Where office workers are flocking instead of restaurants

Rising dining-out costs boost demand for value-for-money cafe meals
Sales of Mega MGC Coffee's MGC-ne products and others increase

The lunchtime scene is changing. As rising dining-out prices increase the burden of meal costs, people are turning to coffee shops for meals.

According to the retail and dining industries on Oct. 17, Mega MGC Coffee's 4,400-won "MGC's Whole Sausage Kimchi Fried Rice" has sold about 400,000 units in roughly three months. Students and office workers have been sharing it on social media (SNS) as a light, good-value meal. "MGC's Seasoned Cup Chicken" has also surpassed 700,000 units in cumulative sales.

Mega MGC Coffee's "MGC's Whole Sausage Kimchi Fried Rice." Photo courtesy of Mega MGC Coffee.

Ediya Coffee sells kimchi fried rice and tteokbokki, while The Venti has launched "The Venti Kitchen," a fast-food sub-brand, offering rose and mala tteokbokki and beef rice balls. Compose Coffee's cup tteokbokki, introduced early this year, drew attention after selling more than 140,000 units within two weeks of launch. Starbucks is no exception. From January to September this year, Starbucks' sandwich sales rose about 10% compared with the same period last year.

For cafes, selling meals to customers who come in for coffee can boost sales, and they can also attract new customers looking for a meal. Consumers, meanwhile, can save time and money by getting both a meal and a drink in one place instead of visiting a restaurant and a cafe separately.

Demand for good-value meals is also pronounced at convenience stores. At GS25, operated by GS Retail, sales of ready-to-eat foods such as lunch boxes, gimbap, triangular gimbap and sandwiches rose 23.9% from January to September this year compared with the same period last year. CU's ready-to-eat food sales also increased 13% over the same period. At 7-Eleven, sales of triangular gimbap rose 27% from January to September this year, while sandwich and lunch box sales increased 23% and 22%, respectively. Emart24's ready-to-eat food sales also rose 13%. To meet this demand, convenience store chains are rolling out a series of products priced under 5,000 won that offer a range of meal options.

A 7-Eleven employee introduces the “Si Kyung’s Pick Seasonal Bibimbap,” launched last September. The product sold 300,000 units within two weeks of its launch. Photo provided by 7-Eleven.

Prices for other dining-out options are all on the rise. In May this year, Lotteria raised the prices of 22 burger items sold individually by an average of 2.9%. In June, The Born Korea also increased prices for some menu items across 11 dining brands, including Yukjeon Hoegwan, Mijeong Guksu, Rolling Pasta and Saemaeul Sikdang, by an average of about 11%. As the burden of dining out grows, consumers are changing their lunchtime habits, opting to get both a meal and a drink at a cafe or to eat at a convenience store for relatively little money.

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