Chuseok food delivery booms as orders for holiday menus soar
Children taste "songpyeon," or traditional Korean rice cakes, ahead of the Chuseok holiday at a daycare center in Buk District, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, Tuesday. Yonhap
Ordering food through delivery apps has become an everyday routine in Korea, and the trend is rapidly reshaping how people prepare for traditional holidays, as demand for Chuseok dishes soars on delivery platforms.
On Thursday, the first day of the Chuseok holiday, Woowa Brothers said delivery orders for "songpyeon," or traditional Korean rice cakes, surged 4.8-fold on Chuseok Day last year compared to the same day of the previous week.
Other holiday food staples also saw sharp increases in demand during the same period, according to Woowa Brothers, the operator of Korea’s top delivery app Baedal Minjok (Baemin).
Orders for "modumjeon," or assorted Korean pancakes, jumped 270 percent, while "namul," or seasoned vegetable dishes, rose 135 percent. Orders for "galbijjim," or braised beef ribs, and traditional sweets such as "yakgwa" and "hangwa" grew 39 percent and 44 percent, respectively.
Rather than spreading out over the holiday period, delivery orders were heavily concentrated on Chuseok Day itself. It is interpreted that consumers want convenience, so they choose ready-to-eat meals instead of dealing with the hassle of grocery shopping and cooking.
Another key trend in holiday delivery is that more people order from restaurants they have never tried before.
On Chuseok Day last year, 67 percent of completed orders on Baemin were first-time orders from specific merchants, up 18 percentage points from 49 percent the previous week.
This is seen as consumers visiting their hometowns often order from restaurants in new areas, while others try different places because their usual favorite spots are closed for the holiday.
Order times also changed on Chuseok Day, as many people ordered early in the morning. Last year, about 40 percent of total daily orders happened between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. as families prepared for morning ancestral rites or early lunches.
"With this year's Chuseok holiday being relatively short compared to last year, the movement of consumers resolving holiday meals through the app or trying out new stores will become even more active," a Baemin official said.
Another delivery platform, Yogiyo, expects people to order more large meals like chicken, pizza and stews to share with family, as well as alcohol with snacks, during the holiday period.
During last year's Chuseok, Yogiyo saw pizza orders rise 21.8 percent compared to the week before, while burger and chicken orders grew 13.8 percent and 13.0 percent. Ice cream and cafe latte orders jumped 90.1 percent and 82.6 percent, showing that more people now order desserts after holiday meals.