McDonald’s Korea's local menu project hits 82 billion won

McDonald's Korea's Taste of Korea project generated an estimated 82 billion won ($59.4 million) in social and economic value between 2021 and 2025, the company said, citing an assessment it commissioned from Triplelight, a Seoul-based impact measurement consultancy.

The figure is 33 percent higher than the result of the same assessment a year earlier, which covered 2021 through 2024.

The project builds menu items around agricultural products from a designated region each year, an approach the food industry has begun marketing as "loconomy," a portmanteau of local and economy.

Regional brand value accounted for the largest share of the total at 76.4 billion won. The estimate reflects the exposure that county names and their signature crops receive on menus at outlets nationwide, which the analysis credits with raising consumer awareness of the produce involved.

The remainder was split between two categories. Higher farm income, measured through ingredient purchases and reduced disposal costs, came to about 5.5 billion won. Increased local participation, including sales tied to the Hometown Love Donation program and hometown associations, was valued at about 210 million won.

Sales volumes underpin the estimate. About 16.75 million Taste of Korea burgers were sold between 2021 and 2025. Counting sides and beverages, cumulative sales of all Taste of Korea items passed 30 million as of 2025. Producing them required roughly 1,000 tons of domestically grown ingredients over the five years.

The 2026 lineup has continued the pattern. One million Chungju Corn Cheese Croquette Burgers were sold in the first two weeks of release in July, requiring about 25 tons of corn from the North Chungcheong county. The company also added Hongcheon Rice Chips, a side made with rice from the Gangwon county, as a permanent menu item.

McDonald's Korea signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in July on cooperation between local governments and businesses.

The project also crossed a border this year for the first time, with the recipe for the Changnyeong Garlic Burger, its debut item in 2021, licensed to an overseas market.

"Through this analysis, we confirmed that the Taste of Korea project has created meaningful value across local communities, beyond shared growth with farmers," a McDonald's Korea spokesperson said. "We will continue to provide customers with new flavors through our menu items using quality regional ingredients and through various partnerships and deliver sustainable shared-growth value to local communities."

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]