A delivery worker (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s leading food delivery platform Baedal Minjok (Baemin) is seeing surging demand for its “One Bowl” service, which targets the country’s rapidly expanding population of single-person households.
According to the company, cumulative orders for the service — launched in April — exceeded 10 million by the first week of September. The service offers low-priced menu items under 12,000 won ($8.70) with no minimum order requirement, catering to solo diners seeking convenience and affordability.
Baemin said participating restaurants across all categories — from Korean and Chinese cuisine to snack shops and burger joints — reported a significant uptick in exposure, orders, and revenue after adopting the service.
Among top-performing restaurants, orders jumped as much as 140 percent after joining the One Bowl program. In particular, pork cutlet vendors saw their average monthly orders rise by 340, with sales increasing by about 4.79 million won ($3,400). Bento and rice bowl restaurants also posted average monthly gains of 246 orders and 3.49 million won ($2,500) in sales.
A Seoul-based rice bowl shop owner said the service now accounts for more than 60 percent of daily orders, reflecting its growing dominance in the market.
Baemin attributed the success to South Korea’s shifting food culture. “As the number of single-person households continues to grow, more customers are turning to the One Bowl service,” a company spokesperson said. “We plan to further diversify menu options and portion sizes to make ordering even easier.”
However, not all restaurant owners are enthusiastic. Some complain that while the service brings higher order volumes, low unit prices and delivery fees have eroded profit margins.
“Many shop owners feel forced to adopt the service because stores that don’t participate receive less exposure on the app,” said a representative of the Association for Fair Platforms, which advocates for small business owners. “For some, it’s more volume but almost no profit.”
Despite the criticism, Baemin’s “One Bowl” program underscores how South Korea’s delivery giants are reshaping dining habits — making single-person meals a thriving new frontier in the country’s food delivery economy.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
