Rising Food Service Prices... Ready Meal RMR Emerging as an Alternative

Oboksusan Flower Crab Cod Soup, an RMR product of Caviar.
[Photo by Caviar]

As the global high interest rates and inflation persist, causing restaurant menu prices to soar in a phenomenon known as "Resflation" (Restaurant + Inflation), RMR (Restaurant Meal Replacement) products that allow consumers to enjoy signature dishes from famous restaurants at home are emerging as an alternative.

RMR products have the advantage of simple preparation methods and the ability to enjoy preferred restaurant dishes without long waiting lines. The variety ranges from authentic steakhouse collaboration menus to premium Chinese cuisine and signature dishes from well-known Seoul galbi restaurants, making it easy to choose according to individual tastes.

KAVIAR, a gourmet curation platform, is recognized as a leading brand in the RMR field with over 150 food IPs. Through gourmet partnerships with top domestic and international chefs such as Michelin 2-star Chef Kwon Woo-jung, Chef Jung Ho-young from "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator," and MasterChef Korea’s Kim Hoon-yi, KAVIAR is developing a variety of RMR products.

KAVIAR offers a wide range of RMR products that cover all generations’ tastes, from Korean to Western, Japanese, Chinese, and Asian cuisines. Representative products include "Flower Crab and Cod Soup" from seafood specialty Obok Susan, "Spicy Beef Pho" from the famous Shinyongsan restaurant Hyotteu, and "Lobsteak," a collaboration between Butcher’s Cut and Vikings Wharf that allows you to enjoy juicy steak and seafood at once.

CJ CheilJedang has launched three new RMR products through its convenient meal brand "Gourmet" and the premium Chinese restaurant "Deokhu Seonsaeng." Deokhu Seonsaeng is popular for its diverse and unique Chinese dishes prepared by chefs from the mainland, such as Peking Duck and Majang Banmyeon, and has been reborn as RMR products so that anyone can conveniently enjoy high-end Chinese cuisine at home.

The new products, combining Gourmet’s differentiated technology and Deokhu Seonsaeng chef recipes, include "Deokhu Seonsaeng X Gourmet Majang Banmyeon," featuring firm, lively noodles with pork, red pepper, and a Majang sauce flavored with peanut sauce and chili oil; "Deokhu Seonsaeng X Gourmet Honam-style Napyukchoban," fried rice with a wok-fired aroma and Chinese secret sauce; and "Deokhu Seonsaeng X Gourmet Zzuran Galbi," pork ribs coated with a secret sauce. These can be found on Market Kurly and CJ The Market.

GS25 established an HMR division composed of 35 convenient meal experts at the end of last year and announced the launch of a premium RMR product series linked with famous restaurants. The first target is "Mongtan," a Seoul restaurant famous for its premium galbi and charcoal-grilled dishes.

The new products include two types, among which "Mongtan Dwaeji Onban" is topped with plenty of boiled domestic pork in Mongtan’s secret broth, offering a unique mild yet deep flavor. The signature menu "Mongtan Onion Meat Fried Rice" contains finely chopped ingredients mixed with a special recipe sauce. GS25 introduced the new products after over 100 prototype tests to replicate the actual taste of Mongtan’s menu.

An industry insider stated, "Recently, the cost of ingredients in the dining industry has reached an all-time high, and with rising labor and operating costs, the burden of dining expenses is increasing," adding, "As this situation is expected to continue this year, demand for RMR products, which are gaining attention as a reasonable alternative to dining out, is expected to persist for some time."