Ham-Free Gimbap, Paid Rice: Changing Restaurant Landscapes

Ham is an indispensable ingredient when it comes to gimbap.

Recently, however, restaurants have started selling gimbap without ham.

As food ingredient prices rise, a so-called "stealthflation" trend is emerging in the dining out industry.

This refers to quietly reducing ingredients or services while keeping prices the same.

In fact, when ingredient costs rose, one gimbap restaurant decided to keep its gimbap priced at 3,500 won instead of raising it, but left out the ham.

Some restaurants have also removed seaweed from their basic side dishes or started charging for bowls of rice that were previously free.

This phenomenon occurs as the prices of food ingredients, including rice, rise and the cost burden on the restaurant industry grows.

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