"Catch the Honchujok"... Four Convenience Store Chains Battle Over Chuseok Lunchboxes

Lunchbox Featuring Sobulgogi, Tteokgalbi, and Namul Launched

Convenience stores have simultaneously launched holiday lunchboxes targeting consumers spending Chuseok alone.

According to the convenience store industry on the 2nd, GS25 is introducing the ‘Chuseok Beef Bulgogi Jeongol Lunchbox.’ This newly released product is a holiday meal concept lunchbox featuring Seoul-style beef bulgogi jeongol as the main dish. Tender beef, three types of mushrooms including enoki, oyster, and white wood ear mushrooms, and glass noodles are served in a small earthenware pot-shaped container, with GS25’s bulgogi sauce included so it can be enjoyed with a rich broth.

A researcher from the Food Development Team at GS Retail is holding a Chuseok Beef Bulgogi Hot Pot Lunchbox.
[Photo by GS Retail]

Along with this, it contains various representative holiday dishes such as black rice, five-flavored skewers (omisanjeok), Korean-style meat patties (donggeurangttaeng), seafood chive pancakes, fresh wild greens, radish namul, seasoned pollock sashimi, and stir-fried kimchi. Also, targeting single-person households spending the holiday alone as the main customers, the content volume is increased by about 16% compared to GS25’s regular lunchbox products.

CU has launched the ‘Hangawi Holiday Lunchbox’ and is also holding a half-price lunchbox event during the holiday period. This lunchbox is a product richly filled with various holiday foods centered on the representative holiday dish, grilled short rib patties (tteokgalbi). Large tteokgalbi glazed with a sweet special sauce is placed on rice, and japchae is generously included to enhance both taste and visual appeal.

CU Chuseok Holiday Ready Meals.
Photo by BGF Retail

Additionally, five types of jeon (Korean pancakes) such as five-flavored skewers (omisanjeok), Korean-style meat patties (donggeurangttaeng), and chive pancakes are combined to further elevate the holiday atmosphere. Furthermore, three types of seasoned vegetable side dishes?gosari fernbrake, spinach namul, and bellflower root salad?are added to complete a proper holiday meal setting. CU also expects many customers to purchase holiday convenience foods during this Chuseok holiday and will hold a half-price lunchbox discount event for three days (16th to 18th) during the holiday.

Convenience stores have introduced new products targeting the holidays because lunchbox sales have shown a temporary upward trend as the number of ‘Honchujok’ (people spending Chuseok alone) increases. According to CU, lunchbox sales during the holiday period (three days including the day itself) have steadily shown double-digit growth rates compared to the previous year: 15.0% in 2021, 13.4% in 2022, and 18.5% in 2023.

Seven Eleven Chuseok Special Lunchbox. [Photo by Seven Eleven]

Seven Eleven is launching the holiday lunchbox ‘Matjangwoo Lunchbox Holiday Highlights’ in collaboration with actor Lee Jang-woo. This lunchbox is a bountiful Chuseok lunchbox composed entirely of popular holiday side dishes. It features tender beef bulgogi and rice cake steak, along with egg donggeurangttaeng, seafood meatballs, and four colorful assorted jeon as the main side dishes, complemented by seasoned perilla leaves and rapeseed greens as additional side dishes.

Seven Eleven has also prepared a giveaway event for Honchujok enjoying the Matjangwoo Lunchbox Holiday Highlights during the holiday period. From the 13th until the end of the month, customers who purchase the Matjangwoo Lunchbox Holiday Highlights will receive a free 500mL bottle of Evian water or a 250mL Pepsi Cola.

Two types of Chuseok holiday lunchboxes presented by Emart24. [Photo by Emart24]

Emart24 will sell two types of lunchboxes from the 10th: the ‘Abundant Hangawi Banquet Lunchbox’ and the ‘Traditional Korean Set Tteokgalbi Banquet Lunchbox,’ both made with this year’s freshly harvested rice. The Abundant Hangawi Banquet Lunchbox is generously composed of representative holiday dishes such as egg-coated Korean-style meat patties (donggeurangttaeng), buckwheat pancakes, mung bean pancakes, fried chili peppers, garlic bulgogi, and japchae.

The Traditional Korean Set Tteokgalbi Banquet Lunchbox features thick tteokgalbi as the main side dish and is designed as a cost-effective holiday lunchbox concept that can be enjoyed with refreshing soybean sprout and yuzu cold salad. These two holiday lunchboxes are the first to apply freshly harvested rice.