“Even convenience-store gimbap is 4,000 won”…People line up for mala tang, but neighborhood eateries trapped in ‘cheap Korean food’ are disappearing - 경향신문

This article was translated by an AI tool. Feedback Here.

Why have gimbap shops and baekban eateries been pushed to the brink?

Gimbap shops around Euljiro and Jongno in Seoul. Reporter Lee Jun-Heon

On picnic days, it was always gimbap. Mom rolled gimbap from the early dawn, filling the air with the nutty aroma of sesame oil. Even after leaving home, gimbap was a convenient meal for students and office workers. When the longing for home cooking grew stronger, people sought out baekban eateries that set out an array of side dishes. A spoonful of stew with some stir-fried pork eased hunger along with the fatigue of the day.

Gimbap and baekban were foods encountered more often on ordinary days than on special ones. They were always close at hand and offered a warm meal without spending much. Now, however, the shops that sold those familiar meals are disappearing one by one. The more side dishes on the table, the more ingredients and hands they require. Yet the costs of preparing the mealraw ingredients, labor, and renthave all grown. Meanwhile, the footsteps seeking that one meal have become fewer. Everyday Korean fare that has long supported the national table is losing its place.

The spread at the baekban restaurant ‘Her Table’ in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Reporter Lee Yoon-Jung

Ms. Kim Mi-suk (a pseudonym in her 50s), who has run a gimbap shop in Jung-gu, Seoul, for 23 years, said that in the past few years the nearby gimbap shops have all disappeared. She also raised the price of her vegetable gimbap to 4,000 won this year, after holding it at 3,500 won for several years. Ms. Kim said, “These days even convenience stores charge 3,500 won for gimbap,” and added, “The cost of raw ingredients has risen so much that it was no longer possible to hold out.” Even so, she is trying not to raise the prices of other menu items any more than necessary, hoping regular office workers can drop by without feeling burdened. Having run the business a long time, she does not want to close the doors easily, but she often feels dizzy when she thinks about soaring labor costs and rent.

A baekban restaurant in Mapo-gu, Seoul, was no different. Owner Choi Jun-hyeok (50), who has run the baekban place ‘Her Table’ in the Hongdae commercial district for ten years, must arrive at least two hours before the 11 a.m. opening to start the day, because he prepares five side dishes fresh every day. For customers they are the basic spread, but for the owner it is work that cannot be skipped even once. Choi said, “There is nothing left over compared with the labor we put in,” and added, “To be honest, I do not know how long I can keep doing this.”

It is not only a feeling that more shops are closing. According to the National Tax Service National Tax Statistics Portal, as of June this year there were 47,863 snack-bar business operators nationwide. This marked a decline for 31 consecutive months since December 2023. In Seoul, the average price of one roll of gimbap was 3,869 won in July this year, up 6.8% from a year earlier. Over the same period, the increase was larger than for other major dining-out items such as knife-cut noodles, pork belly, and naengmyeon. Gimbap-focused franchises are no exception. Gobongmin Gimbap had 591 stores in 2020, but that fell to 383 this year. Kimgane decreased from 459 in 2021 to 335 this year. Baruda Kim Seonsaeng also declined from 150 in 2021 to 87 this year.

At Gwangjang Market, a vendor rolls mini gimbap. Reporter Lee Jun-Heon

That gimbap and baekban are vulnerable to rising costs is tied to the nature of the food. Beyond rice and seaweed, a roll of gimbap contains multiple fillings, each requiring trimming and cooking. Baekban consists of rice and soup plus several side dishes. In addition to ingredient costs, human labor and time are required to prepare them. Even if one seeks to ease labor costs through automation, equipment purchase prices are another burden for small operators.

Rising costs are squeezing store profitability even in the gimbap franchise sector. Kim Eun-gwang, head of Yamsem Gimbap, said, “Snack-bar businesses require a lot of staff, but the average check is low, so labor-cost efficiency does not materialize.” Yamsem Gimbap has accelerated automation by introducing gimbap-making machines and the like, but unanticipated expenses keep mounting. Kim explained, “These days delivery demand is high, and on top of that, delivery app commissions have grown, worsening the profit structure for franchisees.”

Raising prices is not easy either. After increasing prices last year, Kim has postponed additional hikes this year, because consumers also have what is often called a ‘price resistance line’ for gimbap. He said, “When convenience-store gimbap sells for 3,500 to 4,000 won, the base price for gimbap needs to be around 5,000 won to cover various costs, but if we raise it beyond that, we cannot help but worry about consumer burden and a drop in sales.”

Consumers, too, are changing their choices in front of the new price tags. With economic downturn and inflation overlapping, students are heading to convenience stores, and office workers are choosing relatively cheaper options such as workplace cafeterias or ready-to-eat meals. Restaurants find it hard to absorb all the rising costs, and consumers also find it hard to simply accept the higher cost of eating out.

Gimbap shops around Euljiro and Jongno in Seoul. Reporter Lee Jun-Heon

That does not mean demand for Korean food itself has declined. Abroad, not only gimbap and kimchi but also the Korean way of eating a little of many side dishes is being embraced as a new food culture. In English-speaking countries, ‘banchan’ is used as is rather than as mere side dishes, and it is even listed in the Collins English Dictionary as a word meaning the accompaniments of Korean cuisine.

The problem is that, despite the rising popularity of Korean food, at home everyday Korean fare such as gimbap and baekban remains bound to the perception that it must be cheap, and is losing its foothold. Lee Kyung-hee, head of the Korea Startup Strategy Institute, said, “People consider even a small increase expensive at gimbap or baekban places, yet do not consider it expensive to pay 15,000 to 20,000 won for novel foods popular these days such as tacos or mala tang,” adding, “In the end, there is a trend of survival for formats that specialize in a single dish like rice-and-soup or knife-cut noodles, or for Korean-style pubs that sell individual dishes alongside alcohol to raise the per-table check.”

Consumers’ expanded choices are also narrowing the space for everyday Korean fare. The slots once filled at snack bars by a choice of tteokbokki, gimbap, and ramyeon are now being taken by novel foods like mala tang, as well as hamburgers and various ethnic foods. Even on price alone, it is hard to say that gimbap is necessarily the cheapest choice. Depending on the case, a hamburger or a convenience-store ready meal can provide a meal at a price similar to a single roll of gimbap. The very reason to pick Korean food simply because it is familiar has diminished.

Meanwhile, overseas, new markets are being built on the popularity of Korean food. Lee said, “In export markets, Chinese products are masquerading as K-food and being sold on the strength of price competition,” and warned, “If we do not properly recognize the value of authentic Korean food even domestically, in the end people will only be able to taste a variety of side dishes at high-end set-menu restaurants or expensive barbecue houses.”