Willing to Order Expensive 'Omakase'... "My Precious One Meal"

Baedal Minjok Announces '2023 Dining Industry Trends'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] Recent analyses suggest that consumers in the dining-out industry are aiming to enhance their own happiness and satisfaction through 'strategic consumption focused on a single meal.'

Woowa Brothers, operator of Baedal Minjok (hereafter Baemin) and led by CEO Kim Beom-jun, released the '2023 Dining-Out Industry Trends' on the 14th, which includes this insight. This dining-out industry trend report was co-researched and authored over six months by Baemin and the Seoul National University Consumer Trend Analysis Center (Director Kim Nan-do).

The top keyword for next year's dining-out industry is 'A Precious Meal of Mine (Casual but special).' A new definition of cost-effectiveness has been established, shifting the standard from simply 'cheap relative to efficiency' to 'the highest satisfaction.' To achieve this, consumers are willing to spend ample time enjoying a feast, travel long distances to eat, and endure waiting in line.

Even if lunch is eaten simply, consumer behavior shows a tendency to spend sufficient time enjoying at least one meal, such as dining at a hotel for dinner. This trend is observed across various fields, from Japanese 'Omakase' to 'Imokase,' where the restaurant owner selects the side dishes, and 'Afternoon Tea,' where desserts are savored slowly.

This tendency was also found in delivery data. Analyzing Baemin data from the past three months revealed that orders including side dishes were 1.7 times more frequent at dinner than at lunch. While breakfast and lunch are quick and simple meals, consumers want to enjoy a proper and hearty dinner.

The research team advised that to meet these needs, concepts must be found to create a precious meal. This could involve menu compositions with limited sales to emphasize rarity or offering special experiences as gifts. In fact, a Baemin user survey showed that 77% of respondents wanted to try rare foods to avoid falling behind others.

Kwon Yong-gyu, Head of the Dining-Out Solutions Center at Woowa Brothers, said, "Through the 2023 Dining-Out Industry Trends, we hope dining-out industry workers can anticipate next year's food culture trends and prepare successful strategies ahead of time," adding, "Baemin will continue to strive to provide useful information about the dining-out industry."

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