"Of Course, Delivery for Just One Serving" Orders Soar 12-Fold... The Heated 'Honbap' Battle

The "single-serving" menu has emerged as a major trend in the food delivery market. This shift has been driven by leading platforms introducing services that eliminate the minimum order amount, which had previously been a barrier to single-serving orders. As a result, competition to capture the growing demand for single-serving meals is intensifying. Industry leaders such as Baemin (Baedal Minjok) and Coupang Eats are rolling up their sleeves to differentiate their services.

According to a recent survey conducted by Baemin on 712 customers who use the service at least once a week, 38.5% of respondents said that the availability of single-serving menu options is the most important factor when choosing a restaurant on a delivery app. In the same survey, more than half (53.1%) said they had ordered single-serving meals before, and among them, 82.7% reported being satisfied with their experience. Additionally, 47.3% said they would use their favorite restaurant more often if it started offering single-serving menu items. This indicates that the ability to order single servings has become a key factor in selecting a delivery restaurant.

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The surge in single-serving orders began when Baemin introduced its "Hangureut" service at the end of April, removing the minimum order requirement. This service allows customers to order just one meal without having to add extra items, streamlining the ordering process and increasing convenience. Since its launch, the service has gained significant popularity, with orders increasing nearly twelvefold six weeks after launch compared to the first week. Restaurants that started offering Hangureut menus saw their weekly order volume increase by 36% and their sales rise by 21% within just one week.

As Baemin's Hangureut service delivered tangible results, Coupang Eats, the industry's second-largest player, officially launched its own single-serving focused service earlier this month. The company transitioned its "Free Delivery for Just One Item" pilot, previously available in select areas, into a full-fledged service and is currently running a delivery fee support promotion. For Coupang Wow members, the minimum order amount has been eliminated, and single-serving menus have been curated for convenient, free delivery orders.

The intensification of single-serving competition on delivery platforms is closely tied to the rise of single-person households and the growing demand for "honbap" (eating alone), which has become a revenue stream that participating restaurants can no longer ignore. As of last year, there were 8.04 million single-person households in Korea, accounting for 36.1% of all households. Projections suggest this could reach 40% by 2032. In addition, according to sample data from 170,000 food service businesses surveyed by NICE Jini Data, the proportion of restaurants offering single-serving menu items increased from 9.6% in January 2023 to 10.4% in March this year. The sales of single-serving menu items also grew by about 52% from January to December 2023. An industry insider commented, "The biggest concern for restaurants serving single customers is usually table turnover, but this is less of an issue in the delivery market. We expect the sales of single-serving and Hangureut menu items through delivery to continue growing in the future."

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