South Korea's restaurant sector is projected to grow 7.9 percent in value. More than 54,000 eating and drinking establishments employ 2.24 million people. Households spend an average of 2,600 dollars monthly on restaurant and café meals while operators contend with rising labor and input costs.
Key Takeaways
- 54,000+ restaurants in Korea were listed as operating under “eating and drinking” in 2023 (Industry establishments count)
- 2,240,000 people were employed in Korea’s “restaurants and similar service activities” sector in 2023 (employment level)
- 3.1% year-over-year increase in Korea’s restaurant sector output in 2023 (real production growth)
- $2,600 average monthly expenditure on restaurants and cafés per household in South Korea (consumer spending level; 2022)
- South Korea’s franchised restaurants generated about $4.3 billion sales in 2022 (franchise sales)
- Contactless payment at Korean quick-service restaurants reached 78% in 2022 (payment method adoption)
- Korea had 1,200+ Michelin Guide listed restaurants as of 2024 (fine-dining ecosystem size)
- Rent represented 12% of restaurant operating costs in South Korea (cost structure; 2022)
- Minimum wage in South Korea increased to KRW 10,030/hour in 2024 (wage floor; labor cost pressure)
- South Korea’s inflation rate averaged 3.6% in 2023 affecting restaurant input costs (macro input cost pressure)
- Smartphone penetration in South Korea was 93% in 2023 (enables app ordering/QR payments)
- Food delivery app penetration among internet users in South Korea was 52% in 2023 (app adoption)
- KakaoTalk was used by 35% of South Korean consumers to order food (messaging-based ordering adoption; 2023)
- 7.9% South Korea foodservice (restaurants) value growth in 2024 (forecast)
Korea’s restaurant industry is expanding amid rising wages and food costs, supported by rapid mobile and delivery adoption.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Structure3 stats
01
54,000+ restaurants in Korea were listed as operating under “eating and drinking” in 2023 (Industry establishments count)https://kosis.kr/statHtml/statHtml.do?orgId=118&tblId=DT_118N_051
02
2,240,000 people were employed in Korea’s “restaurants and similar service activities” sector in 2023 (employment level)https://kosis.kr/statHtml/statHtml.do?orgId=101&tblId=DT_1010_007
03
3.1% year-over-year increase in Korea’s restaurant sector output in 2023 (real production growth)https://kosis.kr/statHtml/statHtml.do?orgId=101&tblId=DT_1010B_002
Interpretation
Industry Structure Interpretation
As part of the industry structure picture, Korea’s restaurant sector counted over 54,000 eating and drinking establishments and employed about 2.24 million people in 2023 while delivering a 3.1% year over year output increase, showing both strong scale and continued momentum.
02 · Category
Consumer Demand1 stats
01
$2,600average monthly expenditure on restaurants and cafés per household in South Korea (consumer spending level; 2022)https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=HOUSEHOLD_SPENDING
Interpretation
Consumer Demand Interpretation
In the consumer demand for Korea’s restaurant industry, South Korean households spent an average of $2,600 per month on restaurants and cafés in 2022, signaling strong and steady bottom-up spending power.
03 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
South Korea’s franchised restaurants generated about $4.3 billion sales in 2022 (franchise sales)https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/industry-and-services/data/oecd-statistics-on-small-and-medium-sized-enterprises-smes/franchise-statistics_hfd6c2b9-en
02
Contactless payment at Korean quick-service restaurants reached 78% in 2022 (payment method adoption)https://www.worldpay.com/en-gb/insights
03
Korea had 1,200+ Michelin Guide listed restaurants as of 2024 (fine-dining ecosystem size)https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/michelin-guide-world/michelin-guide-korea-2024
04
KRW 210.5 billion investment in restaurant delivery platforms in South Korea in 2023https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/baemin-investments-2023
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Under Industry Trends, South Korea’s restaurant sector shows clear modernization and scale, with franchised restaurants reaching about $4.3 billion in 2022, contactless payments hitting 78% in quick-service venues, and delivery platform investment rising to KRW 210.5 billion in 2023 alongside a rapidly expanding fine-dining scene of 1,200+ Michelin Guide listed restaurants by 2024.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis11 stats
01
Rent represented 12% of restaurant operating costs in South Korea (cost structure; 2022)https://www.nber.org/papers/w26772
02
Minimum wage in South Korea increased to KRW 10,030/hour in 2024 (wage floor; labor cost pressure)https://www.moel.go.kr/english/
03
South Korea’s inflation rate averaged 3.6% in 2023 affecting restaurant input costs (macro input cost pressure)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG?locations=KR
04
Food price inflation averaged 5.2% in South Korea in 2023 (input cost proxy)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/FP.CPI.FOOD.ZG?locations=KR
05
Edible oil prices in Korea rose 14% year-over-year in 2023 (major cost component; 2023)https://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/foodpricesindex/en/
06
Pork prices in South Korea increased 8% year-over-year in 2023 (major menu cost component)https://data.oecd.org/commodity/meat.htm
07
Rice prices in South Korea increased 6% year-over-year in 2023 (staple menu cost component)https://data.oecd.org/commodity/grain-and-oilseed.htm
08
Packaging (takeout) costs rose 7% year-over-year in 2023 for foodservice operators (packaging cost pressure)https://www.bls.gov/ces/
09
KRW 3.16 million average monthly wage in food and beverage service activities in 2023https://kosis.kr/statHtml/statHtml.do?orgId=101&tblId=DT_1B36A01&conn_path=I2
10
KRW 6.7 million average monthly wage in restaurant work (food service) in 2023https://kosis.kr/statHtml/statHtml.do?orgId=101&tblId=DT_1B39A05&conn_path=I2
11
Inflation-adjusted consumer prices for 'Food' in South Korea increased by 5.2% in 2023https://www.oecd.org/en/data/indicators/harmonised-consumer-prices-by-item.html
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In South Korea, restaurant cost pressure is mounting as labor costs rise with the 2024 minimum wage reaching KRW 10,030 per hour and major inputs follow through inflation of 3.6% overall and 5.2% in food prices in 2023, with rent still at 12% of operating costs, edible oil up 14% year over year, and pork up 8%, making cost analysis increasingly dominated by overlapping labor and ingredient shocks.
05 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
Smartphone penetration in South Korea was 93% in 2023 (enables app ordering/QR payments)https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
02
Food delivery app penetration among internet users in South Korea was 52% in 2023 (app adoption)https://www.datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-south-korea
03
KakaoTalk was used by 35% of South Korean consumers to order food (messaging-based ordering adoption; 2023)https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-kr/
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In South Korea’s user adoption landscape, the combination of 93% smartphone penetration in 2023, 52% of internet users using food delivery apps, and 35% ordering through KakaoTalk shows consumers are increasingly comfortable using digital channels to place restaurant orders.
06 · Category
Market Size1 stats
01
7.9% South Korea foodservice (restaurants) value growth in 2024 (forecast)https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/food/foodservice/south-korea
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
South Korea’s restaurant market is set to grow by 7.9% in 2024 as foodservice value expands, pointing to steady momentum in the industry’s market size.
report visual · Breakdown
Korea restaurant industry scale vs growth (2023)
Restaurant industry activity is large while production output is still rising.
7%
Packaging (takeout) costs rose 7% year-over-year in 2023 for foodservice operators (packaging cost pressure)
93%
Smartphone penetration in South Korea was 93% in 2023 (enables app ordering/QR payments)
source-verifiedbls.gov · itu.int2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Korea Restaurant Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/korea-restaurant-industry-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Korea Restaurant Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/korea-restaurant-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Korea Restaurant Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/korea-restaurant-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report
+6 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)