Restaurants begin catering to those eating alone.

In the past, takeout or delivery were the only options for Koreans not dining with friends or colleagues. Delivery is normally free and offers all the side dishes included with dine-in meals. With the large number of groups, be it friends or the frequent company team dinner, it feels weird to sit alone next to a table of 8. Add to the fact that many Korean specialty restaurants cater soups, stews, and bbq to parties with a minimum of two people.

The trend for 2014 is the individual. Restaurants like Lotteria, TGI Friday’s, and Pizza Hut have changed menus to offer dishes-for-one. They’ve also changed table seating to be more comfortable for those eating alone. Experts look to the rising number of singe-person households as well as people getting married at a later age as catalysts.

포장 pojang – takeout (“to wrap-up”)
회식 hoesik – company/team dinner (“dining together”)

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