Buffets are booming as Koreans seek value amid soaring dining costs

Kim, a worker in his 30s, recently took his colleagues to a buffet for a company dinner. "We'd always done samgyeopsal for work dinners, so going to a buffet felt like a real change," he said. "With dining prices going up across the board, a buffet where you can eat and have coffee too actually feels like better value."

As inflation drives up the cost of eating out, buffets are making a comeback. For around 20,000 won ($13), diners can cover a full meal, drinks and dessert in one visit. The format has grown popular enough to draw opening-day queues, and buffet brands are rushing to expand their store counts.

According to industry sources, Ashley Queens — the buffet brand operated by Eland Eats — plans to reopen its NC Songpa branch as a renovated location on July 16, with an upgraded menu lineup. The brand is also opening a branch at Lotte Department Store in Pohang on Friday and plans to open a new Chungjeongno location soon.

Ashley Queens currently operates 122 stores nationwide, with 12 new locations opening or set to open this year alone. The chain had just 59 stores in 2022 but has more than doubled that count in four years as buffets have regained popularity. Ashley Queens accounts for roughly 70 percent of Eland Eats' total sales and is the company's flagship brand. The chain has set targets of 800 billion won in annual sales and 150 stores nationwide this year.

VIPS, operated by CJ Foodville, plans to open a branch at Galleria Gwanggyo in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on July 8 — its first new store this year and its first opening in about nine months since the Mia branch launched last October. The brand is also considering additional openings. VIPS has grown from 25 stores in 2022 to 35 currently.

Ourhome launched a new buffet brand called Take in May, and with its first location performing strongly, the company plans to open a second branch in the second half of this year. Ourhome is hiring experienced cooks and front-of-house staff to bolster operations at the flagship Jonggak location. "Customer traffic has exceeded our expectations, so we are bringing on more staff to maintain the quality of our menu and service," a company official said.

Sushi buffet brand Kuu Kuu is also expanding. Its store count fell from 125 in 2019 to 80 in 2023, but the brand has resumed opening new locations as buffets have regained momentum. It now operates about 90 stores nationwide, has renovated or newly opened five locations this year, and plans to open around nine more in the second half.

The aggressive expansion reflects buffets' growing appeal as a value option in a high-inflation environment. The format was hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many locations closing, but it is now re-emerging as a popular venue for work dinners and social gatherings — offering meals, drinks and dessert in one visit for 20,000 to 30,000 won. Both Ashley Queens and VIPS have added unlimited beer and wine corners.

According to the Korea Consumer Agency's price monitoring service, the average price of a single serving of samgyeopsal (200 grams) at restaurants in Seoul last month was 21,321 won — up 874 won, or 4.3 percent, from a year earlier and 4,740 won, or 28.6 percent, above the level five years ago. Samgyetang prices also rose, reaching 18,154 won, up 500 won (2.8 percent) year on year and 3,692 won (25.5 percent) higher than five years ago.

Ashley Queens currently charges 19,900 won for adult weekday lunch and 27,900 won on weekends. Take has set its adult weekday lunch price at 23,900 won, while Kuu Kuu's weekday lunch runs about 25,900 won. VIPS prices its salad bar at 39,700 won on weekdays — on the higher end — but the chain is generally regarded as offering reasonable value given its premium positioning.