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More Koreans getting breakfast at convenience stores as food prices, one-person households both rise

Published: 09 Mar. 2026, 13:06 Updated: 09 Mar. 2026, 14:46

Products from CU’s ready-to-eat breakfast series ″getMorning″ are on display at a CU convenience store in Seoul. [CU]

More people in Korea are buying breakfast at convenience stores on their way to work or school, according to retailers on Sunday. Rising food prices and an increase in single-person households are driving the shift, with the pattern strongest among consumers in their 30s and 40s.

By the numbers, both the proportion and overall sales of ready-to-eat meals during morning hours are rising noticeably.

At convenience store chain CU, the share of morning sales — between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. — among the store's total ready-to-eat meal sales increased steadily, reaching 12 percent in 2023, 14.1 percent in 2024 and 17.2 percent last year. Overall sales of ready-to-eat meals during those hours last year were up 18.2 percent from the previous year.

GS25 also reported that sales of ready-to-eat meals during their morning period — defined as between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. — increased 15.8 percent last year from the year before.

At Emart24, the period between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. accounted for 28 percent of ready-to-eat meal sales, which was higher than the share recorded during their measured evening period, between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Rising restaurant prices and the growing number of single-person households are behind the increase in convenience-store breakfasts, industry sources said.

The average price of a single roll of gimbap (rice rolls wrapped in seaweed) in Seoul is now 3,800 won ($2.5), according to the Korea Consumer Agency’s price information portal Champrice. The price was 2,523 won in 2020, an increase of 50.6 percent over six years.

A customer examines products which are part of GS25's breakfast subscription service, ″Meal Box 25,″ at a GS25 store. [GS25]

During the same period, the prices of jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and a kimchi stew set meal rose 47.3 percent and 31.1 percent, respectively.

The increase in single-person households has also contributed to the trend. Such households now account for 42 percent of all households, or about 10 million people, and the number of people eating alone has risen accordingly.

Reflecting this trend, CU’s ready-to-eat breakfast series “getMorning,” launched in January this year, sold more than 1 million units within about a month of its release. Among the items, mini-sized gimbap — priced at 2,900 won — accounted for more than 80 percent of total sales as an alternative to store-made gimbap.

Purchases were particularly high among consumers in their 30s and 40s, who generally have greater purchasing power.

By age group, people in their 30s accounted for the largest share of sales at 31.7 percent, followed by those in their 40s at 26.3 percent, those in their 20s at 24.8 percent, those aged 50 or older at 16.4 percent and teenagers at 0.8 percent.

A sign showing the price of a bowl of noodle soup is seen posted outside a restaurant in Myeongdong, central Seoul, on Feb. 24. [NEWS1]

“In the past, convenience-store breakfasts were mainly purchased by students in their teens and 20s or young workers with limited spending money,” an industry source said. “Recently, however, office workers in their 30s and 40s trying to cut food costs have emerged as the main consumers.”

Competition among convenience store chains to capture the growing morning demand is also intensifying.

GS25 operates a breakfast subscription service called “Meal Box 25” for corporate and group customers. The service delivers items such as salads and nuts, and about 450 companies are currently using it. Sales last year increased 156 percent compared with the previous year.

CU, 7-Eleven and Emart24 are also expanding their breakfast-ready meal offerings or launching discount promotions to attract morning customers.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LIM SUN-YOUNG [[email protected]]