CU Launches New Ready Meal Brand 'Dining Table'

Implemented restaurant menu as convenience store products
Expanded to Western-style menus including salads, cooked noodles, and single dishes

CU announced on the 31st that it will officially launch a new brand, ‘Dining Table,’ which elevates the quality of ready-to-eat meals to a new level.

Dining Table is CU’s new ready-to-eat lineup that implements restaurant menus as convenience store products under the concept of ‘setting a new standard for convenience store ready meals.’ CU Dining Table consists mainly of Western-style menus. Breaking away from the traditional categories of gimbap, triangular gimbap, and lunch boxes, it expands the categories to include salads, prepared noodles, and single dishes, thereby broadening consumers’ choices.

Dining Table has launched a total of nine products, with three types each of pasta (5,500 KRW), meal salads (5,800 KRW), and Western dishes (8,900 KRW). The pasta options include Original Pomodoro, Shrimp Aglio e Olio, and Spicy Beef Cream Pasta. These products offer a generous portion size of over 300g, yet their prices are about one-third of those at restaurants.

The meal salads are inspired by Hawaiian poke salad and include Chicken Caesar, Shrimp Lemon, and Beef Brisket Oriental Salad. With diverse main toppings and dressings, these menus target consumers looking for a light meal. The Western dishes feature Spicy Chicken & Roasted Vegetables, Kielbasa Sausage & Potato, and Hamburg Steak & Mac & Cheese, faithfully replicating family restaurant menus with a notable harmony between main and side dishes.

Dining Table products can be purchased at up to a 14% discount throughout April when pre-ordered via CU’s commerce app, Pocket CU. For salads, subscription coupons offer a 20% regular discount benefit for 10 purchases over 30 days.

CU also launched signature hamburgers priced at 3,900 KRW. The three types?THE Red Burger, Green Burger, and Yellow Burger?feature British aged beef to improve burger quality. Compared to existing products, the thickness, content, and weight of the cheese have been increased by up to 17%, while the saltiness has been reduced.

Hwang Ji-seon, head of BGF Retail’s Ready Meal Team, said, “Since the reopening, demand for convenience store ready meals has been steadily increasing, and customers’ expectations have risen. We will lead a new trend in convenience stores with a premium two-track strategy alongside cost-effectiveness. Going forward, Dining Table plans to enhance customer satisfaction by launching additional new seasonal products and strengthening related promotions.”