4 Out of 5 Restaurants Now Charge Over 10,000 Won for a Single Meal

Four out of five restaurants now charge more than 10,000 won (roughly $7.50) for a single meal, a survey has found. Citizens say a meal out actually costs them at least 15,000 won.

According to a survey of food service businesses, the share of restaurants with an average bill of less than 10,000 won last year fell to 20.1%, down 3.3 percentage points in a single year. In March, the average price of kalguksu noodle soup in Seoul exceeded 10,000 won for the first time, and the prices of eight representative dining-out dishes, including gimbap, naengmyeon, and samgyetang, all rose in tandem. Major franchise chains such as Domino's Pizza and Baskin-Robbins have recently raised their product prices, citing rising cost burdens.

Even with the price hikes, profitability has worsened. The rise in costs for ingredients, labor, and delivery app fees outpaced the pace of price increases. As a result, the average operating profit margin of general restaurants last year stood at 8.8%, down from the previous year.