Why are so many kimbap restaurants going out of business one after another? = Korean report

Recently, it has been discovered that the number of kimbap and bunsik (noodle food) restaurants in South Korea has been decreasing. According to the Korea National Statistical Office, the number of kimbap (seaweed roll) restaurants has decreased from 41,726 in 2016 to 202,000 in 2019.
The number of stores has steadily increased to 48,822 in 2017. It will then increase by only 76 stores (+0.2%) to 48,898 stores in 2021, and 46,639 stores in 2022.
The number of restaurants nationwide during the same period decreased by only 0.5%. On the other hand, the number of restaurant franchisees increased during this period. The number of restaurant franchisees in 2022 is expected to be 179,923.
By type of business, the number of Korean restaurants, confectionery/bread shops, pizza shops, coffee shops, and izakaya restaurants increased by 5% to 13% compared to the previous year.
Business owners say they are seeing fewer young consumers visiting their noodle food stores, and that carbohydrate-heavy menu items in particular are putting younger customers off.
This change in dietary habits away from carbohydrates can also be seen in rice consumption. South Korea's per capita rice consumption was 59.2 kg in 2019, falling below 60 kg for the first time.
Rice consumption continued to decline in 2020 and 2021, to 57.7 kg and 56.9 kg, respectively, despite many people eating at home due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak.
The 2023 figure was 56.4kg, the lowest since the survey began in 1962. The owner of a kimbap restaurant in Mapo-gu said, "Two or three people come to the restaurant and order kimbap, tteokbokki, rakbokki, and rakbokki.
"The number of young customers who order a few noodles and dumplings has decreased compared to before," he said. "Most of the customers who order takeout kimbap during meal times are people related to the market."
The decline in kimbap restaurants is being analyzed as a result of more people going to convenience stores and cafes instead of noodle food restaurants for a quick meal.
Professor Choi Cheol of the Department of Consumer Economics at Sookmyung Women's University said, "In the past, noodle food stores selling kimbap and other foods were popular as a way to get a quick meal.
"It was a perfect place for a snack bar, but now it's been taken over by convenience stores selling various snacks and cafes selling sandwiches and bread," he said. "There are now cafes selling other convenient places to eat besides kimbap."
The number of convenience stores in 2022, which will see a decline in kimbap restaurants, is expected to be 57,617.
This is a 7.1% increase from the previous year. The number of coffee shops also increased by 4.5% to 100,729. Some people say that labor costs are high due to the nature of kimbap shops, which require a constant staff to roll the kimbap.
They also point out that this is one of the factors that makes it difficult to run a kimbap restaurant.