Shinsegae Department Store Hosts Gourmet Festival for First Anniversary of "House of Shinsegae"

High-End Gourmet Space at Gangnam Branch
13 Participating Brands Until June 22
Unique New Menu Items, Birthday Promotions, and Jazz Performances
Sales Doubled, Average Spend Tripled

Shinsegae Department Store announced on June 9 that it will hold a large-scale gourmet festival until June 22 to celebrate the first anniversary of the high-end dining space "House of Shinsegae," which opened at the Gangnam branch in June last year. Thirteen brands participating in the space will take part in the event.

House of Shinsegae store on the B1 floor of Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam branch. Provided by Shinsegae Department Store

During the festival, visitors can enjoy unique new menu items, customized promotions for customers with June birthdays, and jazz performances. For example, "Yoon Haeundae Galbi" will introduce a new Tomahawk steak set, dry-aged by chef David Lee, while "Kim Susan" will launch fried crab bread in collaboration with chef Yoon Taeho of Tempura Kiiro.

"Jaju Hansang" will introduce new dishes such as mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), boiled sea snail, and sea snail bibimbap, and will offer free draft beer to adult customers and free ice cream to children during the festival. In addition, "Miga Hotpot," "Goryangjugwan," "Kikukawa," and "Bawi Pasta" will offer complimentary desserts to customers celebrating their birthdays in June.

To enhance the festival atmosphere, jazz performances will also be held. On June 14 and 15, the "Jazz Music Korea Ensemble" will perform twice daily (at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.) in the central hall on the B1 floor.

House of Shinsegae has received a strong response by breaking away from the conventional food hall model and offering a distinctive gourmet experience based on Shinsegae's unique expertise. In the year since its opening, sales have increased by 141% compared to the previous year, and the average spend per customer has more than tripled. According to the company, this is the highest growth rate among the food halls at Shinsegae's 13 stores, and is double the chain-wide average.

Additionally, the number of new customers using House of Shinsegae who had no previous purchase history at the Gangnam branch rose by 61% compared to the previous year, with more than half belonging to the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z). During the same period, sales to foreign customers increased by 247%. Among all visitors to House of Shinsegae, 74% also visited the dessert specialty zone "Sweet Park." Related sales across other categories increased by 27%, driving overall performance at the Gangnam branch.

Shinsegae Department Store has extended House of Shinsegae's operating hours from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., adopting a strategy of "opening the night at the department store." As a result, the store has introduced uncommon practices for department store dining, such as drink pairings tailored to the menu, lighting and music that change by time of day, table service, charcoal grilling, and omakase-style offerings. While food halls typically provide seating equal to 1.1 times the floor area, House of Shinsegae has reduced this to less than half, creating a more spacious environment for customers to enjoy their gourmet experience. The first-floor wine cellar offers over 300 types of champagne and rare wines, earning it the reputation of a "wine sanctuary" among enthusiasts.

Choi Wonjun, Executive Director of Food at Shinsegae Department Store, said, "House of Shinsegae has evolved beyond a simple dining space to become a cultural content hub reflecting customers' tastes and sensibilities. Through this first anniversary festival, we aim to offer a special experience that goes beyond gourmet dining."