The global popularity and versatility of Korean food is rising through pop culture, social media, and even film, as consumers continue to seek bold flavors like gochujang and kimchi.
“[This exposure] celebrates not only traditional Korean food, but also how it can be interpreted or integrated in modern and creative forms,” says FCSI Affiliate Haeam Jung (below), manager at Hyundai Greenfood, a major South Korean integrated food company, founded in 1968, with a focus on corporate foodservice.
“Korean cuisine is no longer viewed as something only traditional, but something versatile that can involve and integrate with other global food cultures.”
Jung is seeing this play out in Korea’s corporate dining scene too. Working on several large-scale corporate dining projects in Korea, including with Samsung and Hyundai Group, his latest project is the new Hyundai Motor Group headquarters cafeteria, where much of the nature of Korean cuisine played an important role in the design. In February, Hyundai Greenfood unveiled new menu items for this year’s corporate meal services through partnerships with popular restaurant brands.
Dining trends
The price of eating out in South Korea has soared, particularly for employees, in a phenomenon known as ‘lunchflation’, driven largely by rising food prices that have overtaken inflation. Currently, many lunches cost more than 10,000 won ($6.50), and wages can’t keep up, driving employees to seek cheaper options such as corporate dining, which offers a more reliable, high-quality alternative that fits within budgets.
“This creates a situation where corporate dining is expected to deliver not only efficiency, but also cultural relevance, variety, and a restaurant-like experience on a daily basis,” says Jung. “Operationally, this significantly increases the complexity of menu planning, production, and service delivery, while the design needs to focus on speed and efficiency, but at a system level.”
High-quality convenience
With a design and engineering background, Jung manages spatial, electrical, and kitchen aspects for complex projects, as well as their aesthetics. His work ensures corporate dining spaces are both functional and striking, offering quality lunches and supporting company branding. Jung notes Korean cuisine’s popularity has become a tool for internal marketing. Overseas, companies hold “Korean food days” for cultural engagement.
Underlying these cultural dynamics is Korea’s fast-paced dining culture, where strong fast, more fast ethos directly shapes the design of large-scale dining facilities.
Even in venues serving over 5,000 meals, lunch service typically finishes in about one hour. Kitchens must therefore support high-intensity production and smooth, continuous service without bottlenecks.
“Korean cuisine requires extensive pre-preparation, such as washing, cutting, and portioning ingredients, which begins hours before service. The entire process, from prep to setup, relies on tight coordination and highly efficient kitchens with clear zones and optimized workflow,” says Jung.
Seamless design
Design must ensure seamless flow from entry to tray return, as many employees arrive at once. “There should be no congestion points. Everything needs to move smoothly. Success means the entire system flows uninterrupted,” says Jung.
Producing large volumes of Korean food on-site is challenging, as meals usually include at least three side dishes. A central kitchen (CK) enables restaurant chains and manufacturers to prepare, cook, and distribute food at scale, reducing labor costs. Supplying prepared side dishes from these kitchens reduces on-site labor and maintains quality across locations. CKs allow standardization and scalability for organizations with many sites within a two- or three-hour radius and can serve tens of thousands of meals daily.
“CKs are not only a support function, 66 but a key infrastructure for managing volume and consistency, but there is also a balance to consider,” says Jung. “If CK-based menus are used too frequently, employees may perceive the food as repetitive or less fresh. In my view, the most effective approach is a hybrid system, combining centralized production for efficiency and consistency, with on-site cooking to maintain freshness and menu diversity.”
Automated for speed
Similarly, automation is becoming essential in large-scale foodservice, particularly in high-volume spaces like corporate dining facilities, where it is typically divided into two areas: kitchen operations and customer-facing functions.
“In the kitchen, automation mainly supports labor-intensive processes. There are systems to support pre-preparation, as well as cooking automation technologies,” says Jung. “Still, there are limitations. In large-scale foodservice, speed is critical, and many systems are not yet fast enough to match the throughput needed.”
But as technology develops, he believes automation abilities will improve. On the customer side, automation includes automated serving systems and tray return solutions. These help to increase efficiency and reduce labor needs.
“But automation alone isn’t enough,” says Jung. “It’s most effective when integrated with kitchen planning and workflow in a complete system.”
“The dining facility was designed to offer up to 14 menu options at once – similar in scale and complexity to a department store food court – with offerings including traditional food, food truck-style stations and even omakase-style service”
Rising demands, rising standards
As demand for Korean corporate dining grows, so does its complexity. Employees expect variety and quality comparable to, or beyond, external dining. “This creates a unique challenge – corporate dining needs to deliver a wider range of menu options, at a higher speed, while maintaining consistent quality,” says Jung. “From a design perspective, rising expectations affect equipment planning, workflow, and logistics. In Hyundai Motor Group’s headquarters project, the dining facility was designed to offer up to 14 menu options at once – similar in scale and complexity to a department store food court – with offerings including traditional Korean meals, food truck-style stations, and even omakase-style service.”
The project exemplifies the ability to support an exciting variety of offerings, consistently delighting customers. Kitchens must have flexible zoning, multi-line production, and well-coordinated workflows that are considered in their operational design, to ensure employee expectations are met seamlessly and successfully.
Corporate dining in Korea is evolving into a hybrid model, combining mass production with the restaurant-level experience, meeting both operational needs and employees’ changing expectations. What comes next is how operators continue to meet demand without losing sight of a diverse offering that celebrates the heart of Korean cuisine.
Lauren Hurrell
