"Single Meat Patty with Signature Bun" CU Launches Premium Burger

CU announced that starting from the 25th, it will completely renew its hamburgers and sandwiches and promote these products as key items in the convenience food category. A model is showcasing the new hamburgers and sandwiches (Photo by CU).

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] CU announced that starting from the 25th, it will completely renew its hamburgers and sandwiches and promote these products as key items in the convenience food category.

BGF Retail, which operates CU, has planned a renewal for convenience foods this year and has continuously conducted research and development to evaluate and upgrade the quality of existing products by category.

The renewal of hamburgers and sandwiches, the third project following triangular kimbap and rolled kimbap, was planned with the goal of premium convenience foods with significantly upgraded taste and quality using ingredients at the level of specialty stores.

In the hamburger category, a premium burger line called the '100PRO Burger Series' using single-ingredient meat patties will be introduced. It includes three options: Signature Beef Burger (3,200 KRW), Classic Bulgogi Burger (2,800 KRW), and Original Chicken Burger (3,000 KRW). The Signature Beef Burger uses the industry's highest meat content patty (83%). The patty used in the Classic Bulgogi Burger contains more than 86% domestic pork, and the Original Chicken Burger uses 100% domestic chicken breast as the patty. The patty weight has also been increased by 66% compared to similar existing hamburgers.

CU also developed the 'CU Signature Bun.' Unlike typical fast food restaurants, the CU Signature Bun, designed for convenience store hamburgers stored refrigerated in finished form, minimizes moisture absorption from vegetables before microwaving to maintain firmness, but after microwaving, it becomes soft and moist with a rich butter flavor.

The sandwiches have also been changed starting from the bread. The newly introduced 'Whole Wheat Sandwich Series (Whole Wheat Ham & Cheese Sandwich, Whole Wheat Bacon Sandwich, Whole Wheat Chicken Sandwich, each 3,000 KRW)' uses bread containing about 30% whole wheat. Whole wheat bread has a stronger nutty flavor and richer nutrition compared to regular bread. The ham in the Whole Wheat Ham & Cheese Sandwich uses premium ham with a 94% domestic pork content. The Whole Wheat Chicken Sandwich contains a whole piece of tender domestic boiled chicken breast. The Whole Wheat Bacon Sandwich is generously filled with whole-cut bacon, which accounts for 24% of the sandwich's total weight.

CU explained, "Despite quality exceeding that of specialty stores, prices are set at about 60% of specialty store prices," adding, "This is to reduce the burden on customers amid significant increases in dining-out prices, such as an 8% rise in hamburger prices and a 5.9% rise in bread prices compared to last year due to inflation."

Sungwook Cho, head of the convenience food team at BGF Retail, said, "After the release of Rich Rich triangular kimbap and Sure Kimbap, each category's sales visibly increased by 60.5% and 55.2% year-on-year, respectively," and added, "CU will continue to strive to provide customers with high-quality food they can trust at reasonable prices at nearby convenience stores."

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