Inflation, hygiene woes hit Korean banchan culture

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation dinner menu, featuring dishes made with pine nuts and crab meat, reflecting the concept of "Tradition and Innovation" / Courtesy of the presidential office

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A heated debate is simmering in Korea’s dining scene over whether restaurants should charge for banchan (side dish) refills.

With agflation — soaring agricultural prices — squeezing margins, many small restaurant owners are increasingly discussing the end of unlimited free side dishes — a staple of Korean dining culture.

In online forums for restaurateurs, polls on "charging for banchan refills" reflect growing financial pressure. Proponents argue that unlimited refills for items like kimchi, particularly when served with affordable meals like gukbap (hot rice soup), are driving businesses into the red.

Advocates for a "pay-for-refill" model argue the move would reduce "table scraps," noting that customers often over-order free sides only to leave them uneaten. By charging, they argue, diners would order only what they can consume.

However, such fees face a steep cultural hurdle. With side dishes seen as an integral part of the meal, critics warn that extra charges risks driving away customers already squeezed by inflation, who may perceive the move as stingy rather than practical.

A proposed compromise suggests keeping basic sides complimentary while charging for expensive, labor-intensive items.

Hygiene concerns: The ghost of 'recycled banchan'

The cost debate has also reignited concerns over recurring hygiene violations, specifically the practice of "recycling" side dishes — taking food left by one customer and serving it to another. Although such violations declined during the COVID‑19 pandemic, this practice continues to resurface, with violators often ordered to suspend operations.

Health experts warn that consuming food contaminated with another person’s saliva poses serious risks, including Hepatitis A and stomach cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies H. pylori as a Group 1 carcinogen, noting that infection doubles the risk of developing stomach cancer.

Experts point to Korea’s traditional communal dining culture — such as sharing a single pot of stew — as a contributing factor to high infection rates, fueling calls for better sanitation standards alongside the pricing debate.

An illustration of Helicobacter pylori in stomach epithelial cells under magnification / Gettyimagesbank

The shift to self-service and individual plates

In response to both hygiene concerns and labor costs, the dining landscape is changing. The use of individual serving plates has become standard practice in both restaurants and homes.

Many eateries are also adopting self-service bars, allowing customers to replenish their own side dishes. This method allows diners to take only what they need — reducing waste — and ease the workload on staff. Despite these shifts, the practice of charging for side dishes might take time.

However, the economic pressure is undeniable. Many traditional Korean restaurants — famous for their vast spreads of banchans — are closing down, unable to cope with the dual burden of soaring ingredient prices and the high labor costs required to prepare them.

This article from Kormedi.com, Korea’s top health care and medical portal, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.