[News Today] ‘Single-portion’ menus growing

[LEAD]
As more Koreans live alone, single-portion deliveries are growing. Even in groups, people want different dishes, and one-person menus are thriving. The food industry is responding fast, with focused marketing and tailored offerings.

[REPORT]
Setting aside the high price, bingsu, or shaved ice, often comes in portions too big for one person.

A single-portion "cup bingsu" is now available at one coffee franchise.

This menu went viral on social media and it is sold out even before lunch time at the franchise's stores.

Jang Yun-ju/ Seoul resident
I don't have to ask people to join me to eat bingsu. I can just go to a cafe and order it to go or enjoy it by myself whenever I want.

A single-serving pizza used to be available only at baseball stadiums.

As more consumers looked for it, it became an official menu item at a nationwide pizza franchise.

The idea that meal deliveries must be for two or more people is also starting to fade.

Nearly half of the orders received at this restaurant is for one-person meals.

Single-portion orders for noodle dishes come in steadily well beyond regular meal times.

Kim Seong-yun/ Restaurant owner for 15 years
People who live alone order single dishes. But some order single servings from different places to enjoy a variety in one meal.

Delivery platforms have responded to this change.

They promote single-portion meals, offering surprise discounts and partial delivery fee support for one-person orders.

Jo Eun-yeong/ Baemin Academy Training Instructor
I tell restaurant owners that orders from single-person households are growing and it helps their stores to target them.

Whether eating alone or together, everyone chooses what they want.

Single-portion meals are now becoming a normal part of food consumption.