'Skip the whole pie' — single-serving pizza is having a moment

Rising prices and a growing number of single-person households are reshaping how pizza chains do business in South Korea. Slices and single-serving menus are gaining ground over whole pies, and compact stores targeting takeout and delivery customers are multiplying at the expense of large dine-in venues.

Sales at Pizza Mol's slice-only stores jumped roughly 71 percent in the first three quarters of this year compared with the same period last year, according to Eland Eats. Pizza Mol is a long-running pizza brand under Eland Eats that launched in 1994. It reinvented itself as a pizza buffet in the early 2010s and drew a following, but now runs both buffet and single-item formats side by side.

The slice-only store count has grown quickly — from three in 2022 to 10 in 2023, 12 in 2024 and 20 last year. As of this month, 25 are in operation, with up to three more planned to open in the fourth quarter. At these stores, a whole pizza sells for 9,990 won or 12,900 won.

The buffet format now accounts for just 10 locations. Slice-only stores made up about 40 percent of total Pizza Mol sales last year; this year that share has climbed to roughly 70 percent, signaling a fundamental shift in the brand's revenue mix.

Eland Eats has concentrated its expansion inside hypermarkets and shopping malls. Twenty-four of the 25 slice-only stores are located in hypermarkets, outlet centers or mixed-use retail complexes. The three stores that opened in September and October are all inside E-mart locations, and each ranked among the top performers across the entire slice-only network almost immediately after opening — a sign that targeting shoppers looking for a quick takeout meal is paying off.

Unlike buffets, which require large dining areas, slice-only stores can operate in tight spaces. One such store spanning about 73 square meters posted monthly sales of around 9.5 million won, according to Eland Eats. "Sales have grown every quarter," a company official said. "We expect to set a new annual sales record in the fourth quarter, when dining-out demand peaks."

Individual pizza slices — a cheaper alternative to buying a whole pie — have been steadily gaining popularity. A single slice is priced at 2,990 won or 3,990 won. Cumulative slice sales at Pizza Mol topped 400,000 units between January and Sept. 20 this year. Second-quarter volume rose about 94 percent quarter-on-quarter, and third-quarter volume climbed a further 25 percent. The share of slice buyers who chose takeout rose from about 10 percent in January to roughly 50 percent in September.

Other brands are seeing a similar trend. Shinsegae Food said E-mart pizza sales rose 20 percent in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year, with second-quarter slice sales surging 40 percent from the first quarter — outpacing the 10 percent growth recorded for whole-pie sales. Shinsegae Food also revamped its pizza lineup in late January, resizing pies to 15 inches and cutting prices by 1,000 to 2,000 won.

Franchise chains that built their business around large pizzas are also pushing single-serving options. Domino's Pizza launched "Sseopja," a one-handed personal pizza, in April last year. Pizza Hut followed in October last year with "Crafted Flats," a single-serving pizza that accounted for about 6 percent of the chain's total pizza sales in the first half of this year.

Store formats are changing too. Papa John's Korea has been rolling out "Grab Express," a compact store model covering about 26 to 33 square meters, since 2024. The format streamlines the menu to six items and cuts oven count from two to one, trimming both equipment and floor space. The strategy deploys these lean, delivery-and-takeout-focused outlets to target regional cities and smaller commercial districts where renting a large storefront would be prohibitively expensive.

The number of pizza franchise locations has shrunk, but average revenue per store has risen. According to the Korea Fair Trade Commission, domestic pizza franchise outlets numbered 7,986 in 2024, down 105, or 1.3 percent, from the previous year. Average annual sales per store, however, rose 8.7 percent to about 326 million won ($245,000) — outpacing gains recorded by coffee franchises (8.3 percent) and chicken franchises (5.2 percent) over the same period.

"Pizza used to be seen as a special-occasion food, which drove demand for premium offerings, but the rise of single-person households and more diverse tastes has fueled demand for more accessible options," a food-service industry official said. "The push to diversify business models — through single-serving products and smaller stores — is likely to continue."