▲ 'Half-roll gimbap' shared online
As "lunchflation," where a single lunch meal easily exceeds 10,000 won, continues, the dietary culture of the younger generation is rapidly changing.
Downsizing consumption to lower spending burdens is spreading, such as buying only half a roll of gimbap, purchasing coffee priced in the 1,000-won range, and looking for budget-friendly burgers.
Recently, a post about "half-roll gimbap," which is reportedly seeing increased demand, drew attention on online communities.
The post included photos of a small-sized gimbap wrapped in aluminum foil, along with it unrolled.
It is a format where five pieces, about half the amount of a regular roll of gimbap, are packaged and sold for around 2,500 won.
Netizens responded that it is reasonable considering prices exceeding 5,000 won per roll, or that it is a good alternative to triangle gimbap.
Voices complaining about the burden of meal costs are also high near university districts and areas dense with office workers.
Kwon, a person in their 20s, stated, "In the past, I didn't pay much attention to prices when choosing a menu, but these days I think twice if it goes over 10,000 won. Since it's money that goes out every day, even a difference of a few thousand won feels significant."
The trend of cutting food expenses is prominent in fixed consumer goods like coffee and single-item meal menus.
Park Tae-jin, an office worker who says he drinks 1,000-won-range coffee every lunch, shared, "It's burdensome to spend 4,000 to 5,000 won on coffee every day, so most of my colleagues also use low-cost coffee brands."
As a meal menu, hamburgers have emerged as a cost-effective meal.
This is because meals under 10,000 won are possible at around 5,000 to 7,000 won based on set menus, and they offer high satisfaction relative to their calories.
University student Lee Min-jae explained, "It's good for a meal because it's relatively cheap and has sufficient calories."
Consumers tightening their belts is also confirmed by market indicators.
According to the Fair Trade Commission's 2025 franchise business status statistics, as of the end of 2024, the number of franchise stores for major low-cost coffee brands Mega MGC Coffee, Compose Coffee, and Paik's Coffee reached 3,325, 2,649, and 1,712, respectively.
The number of newly opened stores was tallied at 657, 311, and 286, respectively.
According to the 2026 Baemin Food Service Trends released by Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baemin (Baedal Minjok), hamburger order volume from January to May this year increased by 14.2% compared to the same period last year, enjoying a boom.
Experts pointed out regarding the phenomenon of low-cost, small-portioned foods increasing due to high inflation, "While it is a self-rescue measure to cut food costs, there is a risk of leading to biased meals. Both consumers and suppliers need caution so that they can lower the financial burden without missing out on basic nutritional balance."
Lee Hong-joo, a professor in the Department of Consumer Economics at Sookmyung Women's University, said, "It appears that low-cost, small-portioned foods have emerged as high inflation continues and demand for inexpensive products grows among price-sensitive consumers such as the younger generation."
He added, "While it is positive in terms of lowering the burden of food expenses, excessive reliance on it can lead to choosing meals centered on price and satiety, which may lower nutritional balance. Consumers need to look out for dietary balance together, and businesses also need to develop products that combine cost-effectiveness with nutrition."
(Photo: Capture from online community 'Ruliweb', Yonhap News)
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