No Brand Burger, Unique Menu Popularity... Side Menu Sales Share Up 5.1%

No Brand Burger Shanghai Finger Fork

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Unique side menus are emerging as a new competitive factor in the hamburger market.

According to Shinsegae Food on the 28th, side menus (excluding French fries) accounted for 15.2% of No Brand Burger's store sales in January (1st to 27th), an increase of 5.1% from 10.1% during the same period last year.

Shinsegae Food analyzed that this is because about 10 side menu items such as ‘Shanghai Finger Pork’ and ‘Injeolmi Cheese Ball,’ introduced to provide a differentiated experience unique to No Brand Burger beyond the traditional hamburger and French fries combination, are gaining popularity among customers as new standalone menu items rather than just side dishes.

‘Shanghai Finger Pork,’ introduced by Shinsegae Food’s No Brand Burger, is cut into bite-sized pieces and fried to a crispy texture. It has received positive reviews for its pork texture that pairs well with a specially developed seasoning blend. It has consistently ranked first in sales among about 10 side menu items. Riding on word-of-mouth on social networking services (SNS) that it pairs well as a beer snack among home drinkers, its sales in January increased by 21% compared to the previous year.

Launched in August last year, the ‘Injeolmi Cheese Ball’ has become known as a must-try popular menu item at No Brand Burger among ‘Halmaennial’ customers (a newly coined term combining ‘Halmae’ meaning grandmother and ‘Millennial’), who prefer traditional snacks and ingredients, ranking second in sales.

In addition, Shinsegae Food recently introduced two types of salads, ‘Chicken Caesar Salad’ and ‘Green Salad,’ at No Brand Burger stores to cater to the rapidly growing salad consumer base. They also differentiated their offerings by selling unique side menus such as ‘Pepperoni Pizza Baguette’ and ‘Combination Pizza Baguette’ for office workers who want a convenient meal.

A Shinsegae Food official said, “As customers’ tastes diversify, there is an increasing demand not only to visit hamburger stores to simply have a meal but also to experience something new through side menus. Since it can provide new experiences and freshness to the brand, we will continue to develop differentiated side menus unique to No Brand Burger to enhance brand competitiveness.”

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