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Lacklustre performance reflects weak purchasing power
In 2025, South Korea’s consumer foodservice market experienced rising inflation and prolonged economic uncertainty, driving consumers toward cost-conscious yet quality-focused dining options. The “cheapremium” trend flourished, with value-for-money family restaurants like Ashley’s buffet-style restaurants gaining appeal. Innovation and digitalisation, including AI-driven personalisation from Coffee@Works and automated operations and hybrid store concepts, has supported customer engagement and operational resilience.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Consumer Foodservice industry in South Korea with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories, where applicable:
- Cafés/Bars
- Full-Service Restaurants
- Limited-Service Restaurants
- Self-Service Cafeterias
- Street Stalls/Kiosks
- Consumer Foodservice by Location
If you're in the Consumer Foodservice industry in South Korea, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Consumer Foodservice in South Korea report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Consumer Foodservice in South Korea?
- Which are the leading brands in Consumer Foodservice in South Korea?
- How are multinational and local operators competing and expanding in South Korea?
- How are consumer lifestyle trends and eating habits shaping Consumer Foodservice in South Korea?
- How is the Consumer Foodservice industry adapting to a post-COVID-19 market environment? Where are the opportunities amidst the challenges?
- How significant are health considerations in shaping the future of Consumer Foodservice in South Korea? Which of these trends hold the greatest potential demand?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
Consumer Foodservice in South Korea
Lacklustre performance reflects weak purchasing power
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Economic headwinds eat into revenue performance
Restaurants roll out direct to consumer initiatives
Experiential offerings and loyalty programmes gain traction
Modest outlook for consumer foodservice
Automation and AI are embraced to enhance efficiency and reduce labour costs
Sustainability and focus on Gen Z/Alpha
Starbucks Coffee Korea maintains its lead
Ashley’s family restaurant strikes chord with price sensitive consumers
International foodservice brands enter South Korea
Chained foodservice operators strengthen position
Cost pressures drive roll-out of compact store formats
Table 1 Units, Transactions and Value Sales in Consumer Foodservice 2020-2025
Table 2 Units, Transactions and Value Sales in Consumer Foodservice: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 3 Consumer Foodservice by Independent vs Chained by Type: Units/Outlets 2025
Table 4 Consumer Foodservice by Independent vs Chained: % Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 5 Sales in Consumer Foodservice by Food vs Drink Split: % Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 6 Sales in Consumer Foodservice by Food vs Drink Split by Type: % Foodservice Value 2025
Table 7 Sales in Consumer Foodservice by Location: % Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 8 Sales in Consumer Foodservice by Fulfillment: % Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 9 GBO Company Shares in Chained Consumer Foodservice: % Foodservice Value 2021-2025
Table 10 GBN Brand Shares in Chained Consumer Foodservice: % Foodservice Value 2022-2025
Table 11 GBN Brand Shares in Chained Consumer Foodservice: Units/Outlets 2025
Table 12 Forecast Units, Transactions and Value Sales in Consumer Foodservice 2025-2030
Table 13 Forecast Units, Transactions and Value Sales in Consumer Foodservice: % Growth 2025-2030
DISCLAIMER
Summary 1 Research Sources
Cafés/Bars in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Cafés/bars faces difficult trading period
Changing drinking culture and financial squeeze is felt by cafés/bars
Polarisation in coffee consumption behaviours
Local Bingsu is key driver as new formats emerge
Cafés face the implications of reaching saturation
Unmanned robot cafés are set to emerge in South Korea
Speciality coffee brand launches personalised roasting service
Starbucks Coffee Korea Co Ltd enjoys leading position
Explosive growth of Mega MGC Coffee franchise stores
Independents struggle compared to chained players
Table 14 Cafés/Bars by Category: Units/Outlets 2020-2025
Table 15 Sales in Cafés/Bars by Category: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 16 Sales in Cafés/Bars by Category: Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 17 Cafés/Bars by Category: % Units/Outlets Growth 2020-2025
Table 18 Sales in Cafés/Bars by Category: % Transaction Growth 2020-2025
Table 19 Sales in Cafés/Bars by Category: % Foodservice Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 20 GBO Company Shares in Chained Cafés/Bars: % Foodservice Value 2021-2025
Table 21 GBN Brand Shares in Chained Cafés/Bars: % Foodservice Value 2022-2025
Table 22 Forecast Cafés/Bars by Category: Units/Outlets 2025-2030
Table 23 Forecast Sales in Cafés/Bars by Category: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 24 Forecast Sales in Cafés/Bars by Category: Foodservice Value 2025-2030
Table 25 Forecast Cafés/Bars by Category: % Units/Outlets Growth 2025-2030
Table 26 Forecast Sales in Cafés/Bars by Category: % Transaction Growth 2025-2030
Table 27 Forecast Sales in Cafés/Bars by Category: % Foodservice Value Growth 2025-2030
Full-Service Restaurants in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Full-service restaurants is impacted by weaker purchasing power
Full-service restaurants under pressure from self-service cafeterias
Affordable premium restaurants gain appeal in challenging economy
Coupang delivery gains ground with Wow Membership scheme
Cheapremium trend is likely to expand due to inflation
Renewed focus on Restaurant Meal Replacement (RMR)
Commercialisation of robot delivery services is expected
E-Land Eats Ltd leads with its family restaurant brand Ashley
Independent foodservice operators enjoy growth
Table 28 Full-Service Restaurants by Category: Units/Outlets 2020-2025
Table 29 Sales in Full-Service Restaurants by Category: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 30 Sales in Full-Service Restaurants by Category: Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 31 Full-Service Restaurants by Category: % Units/Outlets Growth 2020-2025
Table 32 Sales in Full-Service Restaurants by Category: % Transaction Growth 2020-2025
Table 33 Sales in Full-Service Restaurants by Category: % Foodservice Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 34 GBO Company Shares in Chained Full-Service Restaurants: % Foodservice Value 2021-2025
Table 35 GBN Brand Shares in Chained Full-Service Restaurants: % Foodservice Value 2022-2025
Table 36 Forecast Full-Service Restaurants by Category: Units/Outlets 2025-2030
Table 37 Forecast Sales in Full-Service Restaurants by Category: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 38 Forecast Sales in Full-Service Restaurants by Category: Foodservice Value 2025-2030
Table 39 Forecast Full-Service Restaurants by Category: % Units/Outlets Growth 2025-2030
Table 40 Forecast Sales in Full-Service Restaurants by Category: % Transaction Growth 2025-2030
Table 41 Forecast Sales in Full-Service Restaurants by Category: % Foodservice Value Growth 2025-2030
Limited-Service Restaurants in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Cost pressures drive shift in operator strategies
Moderate growth in limited-service restaurants despite economic lows
Ice-cream limited-service restaurants enjoy growth
Brands reduce reliance on third-party delivery apps
Bright outlook for limited-service restaurants
Restaurant franchises expand menus to maximise revenue
Brands leverage AI to improve efficiency
McDonald’s Korea Corp achieves strong sales driven by its Taste of Korea menu
KFC Korea achieves record-breaking performance
Chained foodservice expands while independent restaurants are shrinking
Table 42 Limited-Service Restaurants by Category: Units/Outlets 2020-2025
Table 43 Sales in Limited-Service Restaurants by Category: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 44 Sales in Limited-Service Restaurants by Category: Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 45 Limited-Service Restaurants by Category: % Units/Outlets Growth 2020-2025
Table 46 Sales in Limited-Service Restaurants by Category: % Transaction Growth 2020-2025
Table 47 Sales in Limited-Service Restaurants by Category: % Foodservice Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 48 GBO Company Shares in Chained Limited-Service Restaurants: % Foodservice Value 2021-2025
Table 49 GBN Brand Shares in Chained Limited-Service Restaurants: % Foodservice Value 2022-2025
Table 50 Forecast Limited-Service Restaurants by Category: Units/Outlets 2025-2030
Table 51 Forecast Sales in Limited-Service Restaurants by Category: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 52 Forecast Sales in Limited-Service Restaurants by Category: Foodservice Value 2025-2030
Table 53 Forecast Limited-Service Restaurants by Category: % Units/Outlets Growth 2025-2030
Table 54 Forecast Sales in Limited-Service Restaurants by Category: % Transaction Growth 2025-2030
Table 55 Forecast Sales in Limited-Service Restaurants by Category: % Foodservice Value Growth 2025-2030
Self-Service Cafeterias in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Modest growth in self-service cafeterias
Appeal of affordable Korean buffets pays dividends
Ikea Restaurants embraces discounting to attract shoppers
Korean buffets draw in millennials and Gen Z
Ikea Korea expands into urban-type stores
Chained foodservice is led by Ikea Restaurant
Table 56 Self-Service Cafeterias: Units/Outlets 2020-2025
Table 57 Sales in Self-Service Cafeterias: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 58 Sales in Self-Service Cafeterias: Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 59 Sales in Self-Service Cafeterias: % Units/Outlets Growth 2020-2025
Table 60 Sales in Self-Service Cafeterias: % Transaction Growth 2020-2025
Table 61 Sales in Self-Service Cafeterias: % Foodservice Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 62 GBO Company Shares in Chained Self-Service Cafeterias: % Foodservice Value 2021-2025
Table 63 GBN Brand Shares in Chained Self-Service Cafeterias: % Foodservice Value 2022-2025
Table 64 Forecast Self-Service Cafeterias: Units/Outlets 2025-2030
Table 65 Forecast Sales in Self-Service Cafeterias: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 66 Forecast Sales in Self-Service Cafeterias: Foodservice Value 2025-2030
Table 67 Forecast Self-Service Cafeterias: % Units/Outlets Growth 2025-2030
Table 68 Forecast Sales in Self-Service Cafeterias: % Transaction Growth 2025-2030
Table 69 Forecast Sales in Self-Service Cafeterias: % Foodservice Value Growth 2025-2030
Street Stalls/Kiosks in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Moderate growth as consumer preferences evolve
Popularity of affordable street snacks drives growth
Increasing demand among foreign visitors
Changing diets negatively impact sales of tanghulu
Modest outlook for street stalls/kiosks
Convenience stores pose threat to street stalls/kiosks
Increasing reliance on kiosks is anticipated
Myungrang Hot Dog loses traction as value positioning shifts
Unmanned bakeries boosts performance of other players
Chained street stalls/kiosks leverage partnerships with food manufacturers
Table 70 Street Stalls/Kiosks: Units/Outlets 2020-2025
Table 71 Sales in Street Stalls/Kiosks: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 72 Sales in Street Stalls/Kiosks: Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 73 Street Stalls/Kiosks: % Units/Outlets Growth 2020-2025
Table 74 Sales in Street Stalls/Kiosks: % Transaction Growth 2020-2025
Table 75 Sales in Street Stalls/Kiosks: % Foodservice Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 76 GBO Company Shares in Chained Street Stalls/Kiosks: % Foodservice Value 2021-2025
Table 77 GBN Brand Shares in Chained Street Stalls/Kiosks: % Foodservice Value 2022-2025
Table 78 Forecast Street Stalls/Kiosks: Units/Outlets 2025-2030
Table 79 Forecast Sales in Street Stalls/Kiosks: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 80 Forecast Sales in Street Stalls/Kiosks: Foodservice Value 2025-2030
Table 81 Forecast Street Stalls/Kiosks: % Units/Outlets Growth 2025-2030
Table 82 Forecast Sales in Street Stalls/Kiosks: % Transaction Growth 2025-2030
Table 83 Forecast Sales in Street Stalls/Kiosks: % Foodservice Value Growth 2025-2030
Consumer Foodservice By Location in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Retail developments and cost rationalisation emerge as key trends
Retail locations perform better than standalone locations
Strategic expansion into retail and airport locations
Players adopt compact store model as part of cost rationalisation
Luxury and fashion stores are emerging as new non-standalone consumer foodservice locations
Standalone locations will remain important for marketing and branding purposes
The rise of solo dining is reshaping restaurant operations
Collaborations with convenience stores to target Gen Z/Alpha
Table 84 Consumer Foodservice by Location: Units/Outlets 2020-2025
Table 85 Sales in Consumer Foodservice by Location: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 86 Sales in Consumer Foodservice by Location: Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 87 Consumer Foodservice by Location: % Units/Outlets Growth 2020-2025
Table 88 Sales in Consumer Foodservice by Location: % Transaction Growth 2020-2025
Table 89 Sales in Consumer Foodservice by Location: % Foodservice Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 90 Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone: Units/Outlets 2020-2025
Table 91 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 92 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone: Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 93 Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone: % Units/Outlets Growth 2020-2025
Table 94 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone: % Transaction Growth 2020-2025
Table 95 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone: % Foodservice Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 96 Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure: Units/Outlets 2020-2025
Table 97 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 98 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure: Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 99 Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure: % Units/Outlets Growth 2020-2025
Table 100 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure: % Transaction Growth 2020-2025
Table 101 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure: % Foodservice Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 102 Consumer Foodservice Through Retail: Units/Outlets 2020-2025
Table 103 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Retail: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 104 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Retail: Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 105 Consumer Foodservice Through Retail: % Units/Outlets Growth 2020-2025
Table 106 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Retail: % Transaction Growth 2020-2025
Table 107 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Retail: % Foodservice Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 108 Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging: Units/Outlets 2020-2025
Table 109 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 110 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging: Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 111 Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging: % Units/Outlets Growth 2020-2025
Table 112 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging: % Transaction Growth 2020-2025
Table 113 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging: % Foodservice Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 114 Consumer Foodservice Through Travel: Units/Outlets 2020-2025
Table 115 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Travel: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 116 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Travel: Foodservice Value 2020-2025
Table 117 Consumer Foodservice Through Travel: % Units/Outlets Growth 2020-2025
Table 118 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Travel: % Transaction Growth 2020-2025
Table 119 Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Travel: % Foodservice Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 120 Forecast Consumer Foodservice by Location: Units/Outlets 2025-2030
Table 121 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice by Location: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 122 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice by Location: Foodservice Value 2025-2030
Table 123 Forecast Consumer Foodservice by Location: % Units/Outlets Growth 2025-2030
Table 124 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice by Location: % Transaction Growth 2025-2030
Table 125 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice by Location: % Foodservice Value Growth 2025-2030
Table 126 Forecast Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone: Units/Outlets 2025-2030
Table 127 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 128 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone: Foodservice Value 2025-2030
Table 129 Forecast Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone: % Units/Outlets Growth 2025-2030
Table 130 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone: % Transaction Growth 2025-2030
Table 131 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone: % Foodservice Value Growth 2025-2030
Table 132 Forecast Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure: Units/Outlets 2025-2030
Table 133 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 134 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure: Foodservice Value 2025-2030
Table 135 Forecast Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure: % Units/Outlets Growth 2025-2030
Table 136 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure: % Transaction Growth 2025-2030
Table 137 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure: % Foodservice Value Growth 2025-2030
Table 138 Forecast Consumer Foodservice Through Retail: Units/Outlets 2025-2030
Table 139 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Retail: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 140 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Retail: Foodservice Value 2025-2030
Table 141 Forecast Consumer Foodservice Through Retail: % Units/Outlets Growth 2025-2030
Table 142 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Retail: % Transaction Growth 2025-2030
Table 143 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Retail: % Foodservice Value Growth 2025-2030
Table 144 Forecast Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging: Units/Outlets 2025-2030
Table 145 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 146 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging: Foodservice Value 2025-2030
Table 147 Forecast Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging: % Units/Outlets Growth 2025-2030
Table 148 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging: % Transaction Growth 2025-2030
Table 149 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging: % Foodservice Value Growth 2025-2030
Table 150 Forecast Consumer Foodservice Through Travel: Units/Outlets 2025-2030
Table 151 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Travel: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 152 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Travel: Foodservice Value 2025-2030
Table 153 Forecast Consumer Foodservice Through Travel: % Units/Outlets Growth 2025-2030
Table 154 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Travel: % Transaction Growth 2025-2030
Table 155 Forecast Sales in Consumer Foodservice Through Travel: % Foodservice Value Growth 2025-2030
DISCLAIMER
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Consumer Foodservice
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- Chained Consumer Foodservice
- Independent Consumer Foodservice
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- Chained Cafés/Bars
- Independent Cafés/Bars
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- Chained Bars/Pubs
- Independent Bars/Pubs
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- Chained Cafés
- Independent Cafés
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- Chained Juice/Smoothie Bars
- Independent Juice/Smoothie Bars
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- Chained Specialist Coffee and Tea Shops
- Independent Specialist Coffee and Tea Shops
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- Chained Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Asian Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent Asian Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained European Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent European Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Latin American Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent Latin American Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Middle Eastern Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent Middle Eastern Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained North American Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent North American Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Pizza Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent Pizza Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Other Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent Other Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Asian Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Asian Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Bakery Products Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Bakery Products Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Burger Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Burger Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Chicken Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Chicken Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Convenience Stores Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Convenience Stores Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Fish Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Fish Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Ice Cream Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Ice Cream Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Latin American Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Latin American Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Middle Eastern Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Middle Eastern Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Pizza Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Pizza Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Other Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Other Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Self-Service Cafeterias
- Independent Self-Service Cafeterias
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- Chained Street Stalls/Kiosks
- Independent Street Stalls/Kiosks
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- Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone
- Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure
- Consumer Foodservice Through Retail
- Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging
- Consumer Foodservice Through Travel
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- Takeaway Online Ordering
- Takeaway Offline Ordering
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- Delivery Excluding Fees
- Delivery Fees
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- First-Party Delivery Services
- Third-Party Delivery Services
- Delivery Offline Ordering
- Drive-Through
- Eat-In
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-
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- Takeaway Online Ordering
- Delivery Online Ordering
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- Takeaway Offline Ordering
- Delivery Offline Ordering
- Drive-Through
- Eat-in
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Consumer Foodservice
Consumer foodservice is composed of cafés/bars, full-service restaurants, limited-service restaurants, self-service cafeterias and street stalls/kiosks.
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