From Pork Soup to Hot Pot... Busan Favorites Gather at Department Store

Lotte Department Store's Busan Main Branch Sees Food and Beverage Sales Rise 30% from January to October

Sales to International Customers Also Up 120% as New Brands Open in Succession

Department store dining areas are changing. They are shifting from places to grab a quick meal while shopping into culinary destinations where customers seek out local favorites and Korean and international food brands.

Lotte Department Store’s Busan Main Branch is also continuing this transformation, bringing in a series of new brands for its dining area.

Lotte Department Store’s Busan Main Branch announced on November 4 that food and beverage sales from January through October this year rose about 30% from the same period last year. Sales to international customers increased by 120%. The department store cited pop-up store operations and an increase in international tourists as key factors behind the growth.

Chef Jung Jisun prepares signature dishes and gives a live cooking demonstration at Ten Ten Lai, a new Chinese restaurant at Lotte Department Store's Busan Main Branch.

Seven food and beverage brands opened at the end of October. They include Anmok, a Busan pork soup brand; Ten Ten Lai, Chef Jung Jisun’s individual hot pot brand; and Veteran Kalguksu, a Jeonju kalguksu brand. Sushi Tsukamu, Geumgeum, Bee Cheng Hiang, and PS PABERKY also made their debut.

The selection has broadened to include everything from local restaurants to Chinese and Japanese cuisine and desserts. The opening of Anmok, in particular, stands out as an example of a local food brand known for pork soup in Busan joining a department store dining area.

The dining area revamp will continue in November. Manrihyang, Donmono, Gueojuneunjip, and Aura Table are scheduled to open at the end of November. The Chinese restaurant Xiangxiang Hunan Cuisine will open on the ninth floor.

Yang Hyunmo, head of the Food Team at Lotte Department Store’s Busan Main Branch, said, “Attracting brands that reflect culinary trends in Korea and abroad is contributing to sales growth.”

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