Prices for food at highway rest stops have increased significantly ahead of the Chuseok holiday. Most major menu items, including pork cutlets and walnut cakes, have seen double-digit price increases over the past five years.
According to data submitted by Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Hee to the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, nine out of ten major food items sold at highway rest stops have experienced double-digit price increases compared to August 2021.
The item with the largest price increase is pork cutlets, which rose by 27.5% from an average price of 8,984 won in 2021 to 11,454 won this year. During the same period, walnut cakes increased from 4,391 won to 5,420 won, a rise of 23.4%.
The average price of an Americano has gone up by 19.2%, from 4,066 won to 4,845 won. Other items such as skewered rice cakes increased by 18.5%, while soup and bibimbap dishes rose by 18.4% each. Hot dogs (15.5%), udon (12.9%), and cafe lattes (11.0%) also saw increases of over 10%. Even instant noodles, which had the smallest increase among the surveyed items, became 7.0% more expensive over five years.
Last year, the most sold item at highway rest stops during the five days surrounding Chuseok was the Americano, with a total of 877,000 units sold, generating sales of 4.178 billion won, making it the top seller in both volume and revenue. The Americano has maintained its position as the best-selling item during Chuseok for five consecutive years from 2021 to last year.
In terms of sales volume, snacks followed with 686,000 units sold, followed by instant noodles at 648,000 units, coffee drinks at 530,000 units, and walnut cakes at 529,000 units. Notably, instant noodle sales surged by 119.7% compared to the previous year, propelling it from seventh to third place in sales rankings.
The highest revenue during the Chuseok period was recorded at the Haengdamdo rest stop on the West Coast Expressway, with sales amounting to 1.436 billion won over the five-day period. The Deokpyeong rest stop ranked second with 1.255 billion won, followed by the Siheung Sky rest stop at 787 million won, the Cheoin rest stop at 784 million won, and the Jinyeong (Busan) rest stop at 681 million won. Haengdamdo and Deokpyeong rest stops have consistently ranked first and second in sales and transaction volume during Chuseok for five consecutive years from 2021 to last year.
Hwang stated, "Highway rest stops are different from regular commercial areas, as drivers have limited options even if prices are burdensome. The prices of frequently purchased food items during holiday travel are directly related to the public's perception of inflation." He emphasized that the government's ongoing efforts to innovate rest stop services must translate into improvements in price and quality.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced in July a plan to lower food prices at rest stops by transitioning from a multi-tiered operational structure to a direct contract system. This change aims to eliminate intermediary fees, significantly reducing average rent from 33% to 8-9%. The plan also includes introducing affordable coffee priced under 2,000 won, operating convenience stores 24 hours a day, and expanding discounts and rewards to alleviate the burden of food prices and enhance service quality.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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