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As inflation makes mincemeat of lunch budgets, workers turn to burgers

Published: 14 May. 2026, 18:44 Updated: 14 May. 2026, 21:14

An advertisement outside a fast food joint in Seoul on Nov. 25, 2025 [YONHAP]

As lunch prices in Seoul increasingly climb above 10,000 won ($7), office workers are turning to an unlikely refuge from inflation: hamburgers.

At around 11:30 a.m. on May 13, a Lotteria joint near Jonggak Station in central Seoul was packed with nearby office workers seeking an affordable lunch.

Lee Min-jung, who had come with four colleagues, said rising restaurant prices had made fast food an increasingly practical option.

“Lunch at nearby restaurants usually costs between 10,000 won and 15,000 won, and I’d be lying if I said spending that amount every day wasn’t a burden,” Lee said. “You can still get a burger meal for under 10,000 won, so I think it’s good value for money.”

As “lunchflation” has intensified in recent years, burgers are gaining renewed attention as a budget-friendly meal.

The average price of a bowl of kalguksu, or knife-cut noodle soup, in Seoul stood at 10,038 won in April, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s dining price index. Other lunch staples crossed that threshold long ago, including naengmyeon, or cold buckwheat noodles, at 12,615 won and bibimbap at 11,692 won.

A bowl of kalguksu, or knife-cut noodles [LEE TAE-HEE]

Restaurant prices overall rose 24.7 percent from 2020 to 2025, outpacing the overall consumer inflation rate of 16.6 percent over the same period.

Burger chains are leaning into low-cost offerings to capture value-conscious diners, particularly during lunch hour, which accounts for more than 30 percent of daily sales.

Lotteria has extended the operating hours of its lunchtime discounts by 30 minutes since last year, offering menu items from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at roughly 14 percent below regular prices.

Its cheapest burger, the Deli Burger, costs 3,700 won à la carte or 5,400 won as a set.

McDonald's also offers its signature Big Mac set at a 15 percent discount during lunch hours for 6,500 won, while a cheeseburger set costs 5,000 won.

Burger King is running promotions through May 17, offering discounts of up to 40 percent on select burgers. Two burgers — The Crisper and the Quattro Cheese Whopper Jr. — cost 7,000 won together, while a set meal comes in at around 10,000 won.

The growing appetite for burgers has translated into stronger earnings across the industry.

A McDonald's joint located in Seoul [YONHAP]

McDonald’s in Korea posted revenue of 1.43 trillion won and operating profit of 73.2 billion won last year, up 14.5 percent and 523 percent from a year earlier, respectively.

Lotte GRS, the operator of Lotteria, reported revenue of 1.12 trillion won and operating profit of 51.1 billion won, marking increases of 12.4 percent and 30.6 percent. It was the first time since 2017 that Lotteria’s annual sales surpassed 1 trillion won.

BKR, which operates Burger King in Korea, also posted record results, with revenue rising 12.6 percent to 892.2 billion won and operating profit climbing 11.7 percent to 42.9 billion won.

The shift in dining habits is making its mark on Korea’s dining-out landscape.

The number of food service establishments nationwide fell 0.6 percent to 788,862 in 2024 from a year earlier, according to the National Business Survey, marking a fourth straight annual decline since 2021. However, the number of pizza, burger and chicken specialty restaurants rose 0.1 percent to 66,326.

Budget-friendly buffets are also gaining popularity for company lunches and family gatherings.

Kim Sun-ho, an employee at a large company in Jongno District, recently held a departmental lunch gathering for 15 co-workers at a buffet near his office.

“There’s definitely a growing preference for lunch gatherings over dinners these days,” Kim said. “We come to buffets from time to time because you can enjoy a wide variety of food for around 20,000 won per person.”

The weekday lunch price at the newly opened buffet was 23,900 won per adult.

According to BC Card, card spending and transaction volume at all-you-can-eat establishments rose by 23.5 percent and 21.2 percent from January to April compared to the same period a year earlier.

Spending at buffets has posted average annual growth of 15 percent in sales and 9 percent in transaction volume since 2022, even as overall restaurant card spending in Korea declined by an average of 2.3 percent annually in the same time frame.

Ashley Queens, the country’s largest buffet chain, also saw sales rise 10 percent in the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year.

“Dining costs have risen faster than nominal income, leading consumers to control spending and seek out options with better value for money,” said Choi Cheol, a professor of consumer economics at Sookmyung Women's University.

“Demand from single-person and dual-income households means the dining-out market will likely continue growing, but businesses are increasingly operating in an environment where offering value for money is key to survival,” he added.

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 KIM HYUNG-HEE [[email protected]