1️⃣🍙Omakase & Group Order No-Shows—Penalties Up to 40%🍣💸
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✔ Korea’s Fair Trade Commission revised consumer dispute guidelines across dining, weddings, and travel, raising no-show penalties to better reflect real costs
• Reservation-based restaurants like omakase and fine dining can now charge up to 40% for no-shows due to high prep costs
• Even regular restaurants may apply similar penalties for large orders (e.g. 100 rolls of gimbap)—only if the policy and amount are clearly disclosed in advance
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🧑🏻💬 Platforms like Catchtable already had solid no-show systems—this change makes it feel like the new normal🍽️
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2️⃣🤕'Ugly Oranges' That Turned Out Inedible🍊🚨
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✔ Authorities cracked down on cases where non-edible citrus was sold online under labels like 'ugly' or 'home-use' oranges
• Citrus affected by rot, pests, sun damage, or decay is classified as non-marketable regardless of appearance, and online or courier sales are illegal
• Seogwipo City announced intensive inspections of direct sellers and parcel hubs through the end of the harvest season
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🧑🏻💬 'Ugly fruit' is about looks, not safety. Misusing the term hurts honest sellers—glad to see stricter enforcement🍊
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3️⃣🥤Disposable Cups—Plastic or Paper—On the Way Out📦♻️
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✔ The government plans to ban free plastic disposable cups, requiring customers to pay around KRW 100–200 instead
• Paper cups will also be re-banned for in-store use, starting with large cafés and bakeries
• Straws—regardless of material—will be provided only upon request
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🧑🏻💬 The message is clear: don’t use it if you can; if you do, pay for it🤨
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4️⃣💰KRW 6B Invested in Food Freshness Tech❄️🥬
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✔ Altos Ventures made a KRW 6 billion (≈USD 4.5M) Series A investment in food-tech startup PureSpace
• PureSpace controls ethylene gas to slow ripening and spoilage—tests with Lotte Mart showed 50% less food waste and up to 2× longer shelf life
• Funds will support sales expansion and next-gen products, with a fresh-food transport container launching next year
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🧑🏻💬 A rare example of food tech that’s simple to grasp and potentially transformative—retail and logistics will feel this one👀
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5️⃣🍖Starbucks Expands ‘Yoo Yong-wook BBQ Sandwich’🥪🔥
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✔ Starbucks’ Tasty Journey collaboration sandwich sold out on day one at all locations, posting 2–5× higher sales than existing sandwiches
• Launched in 5 select stores, expanding to 10 locations nationwide from Dec 26
• Developed with Yoo Yong-wook BBQ Lab, featuring two cuts of beef (roast cubes + grilled beef) with soy-based and white signature sauces
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🧑🏻💬 It’s rare to see Starbucks food—not merch—drive real foot traffic. This might be the start of café-meets-popup-restaurant era🏃♂️
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🕗1st & 3rd Fridays – Korean Food Trend Highlights
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