'Hold the white rice, add cheese' — customization takes over hansik menus

A clear trend toward hyper-personalized consumption — in which customers add toppings, swap ingredients and tailor menus to their own taste — is emerging even in juk and bibimbap, two of Korea's most traditional hansik dishes.

Bon Juk & Bibimbap, operated by Bon IF, analyzed roughly 220,000 orders placed between January and April this year and found that about 30 percent involved some form of customization, the company said Thursday.

The most striking pattern was among customers in their teens and 20s, who added cheese toppings to juk at a rate roughly six times higher than those in their 40s and 50s. Particularly popular was the spicy octopus kimchi juk, where half of all orders included a cheese topping.

Customers in their 30s and 40s were the most active customizers across all age groups, with more than four in 10 modifying their order options. Beyond adding toppings, this group showed a strong tendency toward what the company called "self-directed ordering" — excluding certain ingredients, switching rice types and otherwise tailoring meals to their dietary habits and preferences.

Among customers aged 60 and older, health-conscious choices stood out: about 18 percent swapped the standard white rice in their bibimbap for oat rice. In the juk category, the share of customized orders climbed from about 7 percent in 2022 to roughly 38 percent this year — more than a fivefold increase. Among customers in their teens through 30s, orders opting for "minus customization" — requesting lower sodium, finer texture or less sweetness — rose about 3 percent from the previous year.

Bon Juk has offered a customized juk service since opening its first store near the children's hospital at Seoul National University Hospital in 2002. The brand lets customers personalize not only toppings but also sodium levels, the texture of rice grains and how portions are divided when packaged.

"Where hansik once centered on fixed, standardized menus, there is now a clear shift toward customers choosing their own toppings, rice types and ingredient combinations," said Baek Min-seon, head of brand planning at Bon IF. "We will continue to analyze order data to suggest ever more precise options and combinations."