"What Should I Eat? Cooking at Home Is a Hassle... 10,000~20,000 Won 'Hotel-Level Catering' Spreads in Ultra-Luxury Apartments [Luxury World]"

Started in Seongsu-dong in 2017, Now a Basic Option for New Apartments

Meal Prices Reach 10,000–20,000 Won, Featuring Hotel-Level Chefs and Collaborations with Renowned Restaurants

Group catering, once associated with company cafeterias and school canteens, has now established itself as a 'premium service' in luxury apartment complexes. Today, the sight of 'buying a meal at home' is no longer unusual.

Gourmet Galleria Homepage.

According to the industry on April 26, major food service providers such as CJ Freshway, Samsung Welstory, and Gourmet Galleria are expanding their apartment food and beverage service businesses. CJ Freshway currently operates services at Raemian One Bailey, Raemian One Pentas, Raemian Leaders One, and Brighton Yeouido. Samsung Welstory provides its services at Gaepo Xi Residence, Raemian Bless Tige, and Yongsan Central Park. Gourmet Galleria is also responsible for residents' dining tables in key complexes such as Trimage Seoul, Gaepo Raemian Forest, and Gaepo DH Xi.

Started in Seongsu-dong in 2017, Now a Basic Option for Apartments

Food and beverage services in luxury apartment communities were first introduced in 2017 at Trimage Seoul, located in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, and have since spread to upscale complexes in Gangnam, Seocho, and other affluent areas. More recently, this trend has expanded beyond the greater Seoul area to major cities across the country, becoming a 'basic option' for newly built apartments. In particular, there is a growing number of cases since 2020 where restaurants and cafes are included as essential community facilities at the design stage of new complexes.

The selection process for operators is also differentiated from conventional catering. Like industrial and office catering, there is a competitive presentation (PT) and tasting evaluation, but, in addition, residents also participate in voting. Bidding criteria comprehensively reflect not only price but also menu quality, service level, operating track record, and brand credibility. In particular, for luxury complexes, the ability to provide higher quality menus and services at the same price point is considered a key competitive factor.

The average meal price at high-end apartments in the Gangnam area ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 won, which is considerably higher compared to standard office catering (6,000 to 8,000 won). However, apartment food and beverage services face the limitation of low operational efficiency due to fewer users and greater fluctuations in demand.

Instead, the menu and service level are comparable to dining out. Chefs and managers with hotel backgrounds are stationed on site, offering a diverse selection of Korean, Western, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine. Special menus in collaboration with local popular restaurants, kids' menus, health-focused options, and trendy dishes are also available.

The main customer segments vary by complex, but in the Gangnam area, the core customers are dual-income couples in their 30s and 40s and seniors. Dual-income households use the service mainly for convenient dinner solutions, while seniors often use it as a regular dining space. Complexes with a higher proportion of seniors typically see more stable usage rates, while those with more working professionals experience lower usage during weekdays and higher use on weekends. The average utilization rate per household is reported to be between 20% and 30%.

Profitability Still Lags, But Companies Seek Differentiation

However, profitability remains insufficient. The number of diners is small, and the high expectations of residents make operational requirements challenging. There have even been cases where companies participated in bids at low prices but withdrew midway. Nevertheless, companies continue to enter the market because of its growth potential.

The industry estimates the current size of the apartment food and beverage service market to be around 30 billion to 40 billion won. An industry insider explained, "With the corporate catering market reaching saturation, military and apartment catering are being highlighted as new growth engines. In particular, the apartment market is still in its early stages, but it is growing at a rate of more than 20% annually." The experience of operating in luxury apartments is also regarded as a valuable reference for future business expansion, which serves as another reason for companies to enter the sector.

CJ Freshway is expanding its apartment food and beverage service business by leveraging its operational expertise accumulated from industrial and office catering. At Raemian One Bailey, chefs and managers with hotel backgrounds have been deployed, and the company has introduced, for the first time in the industry, a 100% direct employment system to enhance service quality. The menu consists of two sections: Korean cuisine and a la carte dishes, offering restaurant-quality options such as grilled dishes, soup-based dishes, teppan cuisine, and Chinese noodle dishes. In addition, CJ Freshway has differentiated itself by collaborating with external restaurant brands like 'Eomjine Cockle Bibimbap' and 'Samwon Garden' to offer special menu items. Its competitive edge in sourcing ingredients directly from contract farms and producers is also cited as a strength.

Gourmet Galleria is a specialized provider of apartment community food and beverage services, operating a consulting-based model that involves participating from the early design stages. These long-term projects, which can take one to three years from contract to opening, include restaurant layout and operations planning, and the company is expanding its business through collaborations with construction firms.

Additionally, the company seeks to strengthen differentiation by simultaneously offering healthy, kids, and trendy menus tailored to family and diverse age groups, and by providing experiential content such as cooking classes and tuna-cutting shows. Gourmet Galleria is also launching its premium deli brand 'Table' to extend restaurant-quality offerings to apartment food and beverage services.

An industry insider commented, "In the past, apartments were simply residential spaces, but now they are evolving into platforms for living and consumption. With the addition of food and beverage services to amenities like gyms and swimming pools, apartments are transforming into integrated living spaces."

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