It's Not Starbucks or Compose... "Senior, Are You Having Coffee There Again?" One Out of Three Picks Mega Coffee

Analysis of NH Nonghyup Card Payment Records

Mega Coffee Ranks First Among High-Frequency Customers

People in Their 20s Visit Coffee Shops Most Frequently per Year

The age group that visits coffee shops the most in South Korea is those in their twenties.

According to an analysis by NH Nonghyup Bank of NH Card customers' coffee shop payment records for the year 2025, people in their twenties had the highest annual average number of coffee shop visits (measured by the number of payments made with NH Card), at 26.0 visits per year. The number of annual coffee shop visits decreased with age, with people in their thirties visiting 24.0 times per year, those in their forties 20.1 times, those in their fifties 17.1 times, and those in their sixties 11.5 times. However, teenagers recorded an average of 17.0 annual visits, showing a similar frequency to those in their fifties.

Stores of domestic low-cost coffee brands located in a building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. From the left, Mega Coffee, Compose Coffee, Paik's Coffee, and The Venti Coffee across one store. Photo by Hyunghan Heo

Among all card spending, the proportion spent on coffee was highest among teenagers at 4.4%. This was followed by those in their twenties (3.3%), thirties (2.1%), forties (1.6%), fifties (1.5%), and sixties (1.1%), indicating that younger age groups spend a higher proportion of their card usage on coffee. However, the average payment per transaction was highest for those in their sixties, at 9,500 won, while it was relatively lower for those in their twenties (6,800 won) and teenagers (5,900 won).

Mega Coffee was the most popular coffee shop among high-frequency customers (those whose number of visits was above average), with these customers making one out of every three annual coffee shop visits (33%) at Mega Coffee. This was followed by Compose Coffee (26%), Paik's Coffee (21%), Starbucks (20%), and Ediya (18%). One out of every four high-frequency customers enjoyed "two cups of coffee a day," meaning they drank at least two cups of coffee in a single day at least once a week.

An analysis of weekday usage patterns in major business districts in Seoul showed that Yeouido, Gwanghwamun, and Jongno experienced coffee demand during lunchtime that was up to four times the average. In contrast, Gangnam displayed less variation in usage by time of day compared to other business districts, resulting in steady consumption throughout the day. Among business districts, Yeouido, where securities firms are concentrated and commuting starts relatively early, had the highest coffee consumption during morning hours.

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