"Would you like more lettuce? That will be 2,000 won" As vegetable prices soar, extra side dishes are going 'paid'... customers feel 'uneasy'

[Financial News]  As vegetable prices have surged this summer amid repeated heat waves and heavy rain, more restaurants are charging extra for wrap vegetables that had previously been offered for free.

At some bossam restaurants and barbecue restaurants in Mapo District and Seodaemun District in Seoul, customers are now being charged about 2,000 won when they order additional lettuce and perilla leaves that were previously served as basic side dishes. Some restaurants have even started growing wrap vegetables in their own gardens to ease the burden.
Vegetable prices are indeed rising sharply. According to the Agricultural Products Distribution Information System (KAMIS) under the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) on the 26th, the retail price of perilla leaves per 100 grams this month stood at 2,842 won, up 28% from 2,222 won a month earlier. Compared with July 10, just before the first heat wave warning of the year was issued for South Gyeongsang and North Gyeongsang provinces, the price jumped 49% from 1,902 won. Green lettuce per 100 grams rose 25% month on month to 1,618 won, while mini napa cabbage climbed 33% over the same period.
Wholesale prices rose even more steeply. At Garak Market in Songpa District, Seoul, the wholesale price of red lettuce for 4 kilograms surged from 17,842 won on July 10 to 43,100 won on the 10th of this month, a 2.4-fold increase in just one month. Over the same period, perilla leaves rose from 13,724 won to 42,316 won, or about 3.1 times.
As cost pressures mount, the move toward charging for items is no longer limited to wrap vegetables. Some restaurants are also charging about 1,000 won for extra salad when customers order more than the portion served by default.

Since last year, discussions among self-employed business owners over whether to charge for extra side dishes have continued. In a survey conducted in February by a self-employed business community of 1,367 restaurant owners, 38.3% of respondents said they supported charging for additional side dishes.
Those in favor argue that, as raw material prices have risen sharply, it is reasonable to charge for extra orders. They also say customers should order only what they need to reduce food waste, and that labor costs for managing self-service bars and providing extra side dishes must also be taken into account.
On the other hand, concerns have been raised that consumers may push back. In South Korea, there is a strong perception that the cost of basic side dishes is effectively included in the meal price, so many say that turning previously free side dishes into paid items could be seen as a de facto price increase.

[email protected] Ahn Ga-eul Reporter