As demand for home-cooked meals rises due to COVID-19... Lotte Department Store's side dish sales double

The signature menu of Crown Hill, opening on the 3rd at Lotte Department Store Main Branch.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] As demand for home-cooked meals increased due to COVID-19, sales of side dishes at department store food halls have significantly risen.

According to Lotte Department Store on the 1st, side dish sales more than doubled compared to the previous year at five stores that opened branded side dish shops in the first half of this year. Some stores recorded monthly sales exceeding 100 million KRW. In particular, the number of customers who visit regularly at least once a week surged. At the Gangnam branch, customers who visited the side dish store more than 10 times in the past three months increased more than 3.5 times compared to last year.

Previously, Lotte Department Store introduced locally famous side dish brands tailored to each store’s characteristics, such as ‘Master Cook’ at Jamsil branch, ‘Mat-it-neun Chan’ at Gangnam branch, and ‘Yechan’ at Konkuk University Star City branch. Lotte Department Store plans to continuously strengthen side dish brands in the second half of the year as well.

On the 3rd, Lotte Department Store will open ‘Crown Hill’ at its main branch. Crown Hill is a store famous for regular delivery in the Suwon and Gwanggyo areas. It offers menus that go beyond simple side dishes, featuring the latest trends, and also accepts pre-orders for handmade lunch boxes, home party boxes, and catering. Especially, the signature menu, beef chop steak, is popular for its tender texture achieved through secret aging. Until the 8th, customers who purchase over 10,000 KRW will receive a handmade cold-pressed juice as a gift. Crown Hill is also scheduled to open at the Dongtan branch.

Lotte Department Store Nowon branch has completed a major renovation and significantly strengthened its side dish corner. The representative brand is ‘Daily Side Dish,’ operated by Lee Geum-ja, a side dish expert with 35 years of experience featured on the TV program Master of Living. This store specializes in single dishes such as soups, stews, hot pots, and braised dishes. Until the 8th, customers who purchase over 10,000 KRW will receive cucumber cold soup as a gift.

A Lotte Department Store official said, “We plan to proactively introduce excellent local restaurants in the future and continuously present differentiated side dish stores and new content.”