"Buying Alcohol at Convenience Stores and Drinking at Restaurants"... The Trend of 'Corkage Free'

8 out of 10 People Favor Corkage-Free Restaurants
Impact of 5.7% Increase in Alcohol Prices Compared to Last Year

As the prices of alcoholic beverages such as soju and beer have soared sharply, consumer response to 'corkage-free' restaurants has significantly increased.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the results of the '2023 Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Corkage-Free Related U&A Survey' conducted by market research firm Embrain Trend Monitor on the 29th, 77.7% of all respondents expressed a favorable view of restaurants offering corkage-free services. The survey was conducted among 1,000 adult men and women nationwide aged 19 to 59 who have experience consuming alcoholic beverages.

Corkage-free refers to a service where customers who bring their own alcoholic beverages to a restaurant are provided with dedicated glasses free of charge. While this service was traditionally offered for wine at hotels or upscale restaurants, it has recently expanded to include common alcoholic beverages such as soju and beer.

The increased interest in this service is understood to be due to consumers feeling burdened by purchasing alcohol at restaurants amid recent price hikes in alcoholic beverages.

According to the National Statistical Portal of Statistics Korea in February, the price of alcoholic beverages rose by 5.7% last year compared to the previous year, marking the highest increase in 24 years. In particular, as alcohol companies raised their wholesale prices, the price of soju increased by 7.6%, and beer by 5.5%.

Due to the wholesale price increases, the price consumers pay for alcohol at restaurants has become even higher. Recently, a bottle of soju is sold for about 4,000 to 5,000 won, and a bottle of beer for about 5,000 to 6,000 won at eateries.

As a result, consumers are choosing to enjoy drinking occasions by purchasing alcohol at supermarkets or convenience stores at prices less than half of restaurant prices, then visiting corkage-free restaurants that allow them to drink their own alcohol.

For example, a recently opened Sundaeguk franchise restaurant started offering a service where customers can drink one bottle of any type of alcohol per table for free. This led to many people flocking to the restaurant, causing lines of over an hour.

Additionally, a 'Corkage-Free Map' compiling only restaurants that offer corkage-free services has become a hot topic on online communities.