At the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, long lines form in front of cafes and restaurants on weekends or days when popular exhibitions open. After seeing an exhibition, eating a meal, resting at a cafe, or browsing cultural goods has taken hold as a standard course of a visit.
The National Museum of Korea is emerging as a new battleground for the dining industry. With a surge in visitors—about 3.8 million in just the first half of this year—a large, stable commercial zone with reliable food-and-beverage demand has formed. Another reason restaurant operators are interested in securing operating rights is the ability to promote Korean-style menus and brands to domestic and international consumers.
According to the dining industry on the 23rd, Lotte GRS reopened the first-floor food court "Hansik Migwan" in the West Building exhibition hall of the National Museum of Korea on the 16th after a renovation. Covering about 275 pyeong with 316 seats, it has five sections offering bibimbap; soups and stews; bunsik; Chinese and Western cuisine; and chicken.
Curves and eaves of a traditional Korean roof were applied to the entrance, and colors inspired by Joseon-era paintings were used throughout the store. Museum-exclusive menu items, such as spicy beef soup set with grilled short rib patties and five-color three-delicacy full set, were also introduced. A Lotte GRS representative said, "We will continue to develop differentiated food-and-beverage consignment models tailored to various commercial zones to strengthen our growth drivers."
Earlier, EDIYA COFFEE has been operating five cafes inside the museum since March. Eight companies competed to be selected as operator, including Ediya Inc.; CJ Freshway; Lotte GRS; SCK Company, which runs Starbucks; Samsung Welstory; Foodist; and OURHOME. Ediya ranked first in negotiation order and secured the final operating rights.
The biggest reason companies compete for operating rights at the National Museum of Korea is its drawing power. From January to June this year, there were 3,795,400 visitors, up 39.7% from the same period last year. It is the first time since opening that first-half visitors have exceeded 3 million. It has already surpassed the 2024 annual total of 3,788,785 visitors. Foreign visitors rose 68.8% in the same period to 165,404.
The National Museum of Korea has permanent and special exhibitions, a children's museum, and outdoor spaces, so families stay for extended periods. The longer the stay, the more natural the demand not only for coffee and snacks but also for full meals.
Food-and-beverage choices inside the museum are limited. Unlike street commercial districts that compete with numerous shops, the museum can reliably absorb visitor demand. The customer base is diverse—children, students, families, middle-aged and older adults, and foreigners—reducing dependence on specific time slots or age groups.
◇ Showcase for promoting K-food
Opening in the National Museum of Korea also delivers brand benefits beyond sales. Ediya Inc. introduced specialized menus using Korean ingredients such as black sesame and seaweed chips, pear and quince, and black sesame paste. A homegrown coffee brand that grew around alleyways and office districts can build a "K-cafe" image in a cultural space representing Korea.
Lotte GRS also applied Korean-style interiors and tableware, created museum-exclusive menus, and installed multilingual barrier-free kiosks. It plans to promote museum exhibitions at stores nationwide and jointly run traditional food-making experiences.
It is also attractive as a place to test foreigners' menu preferences, price tolerance, and multilingual ordering methods. Menus and operating methods that perform well can be applied to airports or overseas locations.
◇ Concession business expands into cultural venues
Competition to enter the National Museum of Korea also aligns with restaurant companies' expansion of their concession businesses. Concessions are businesses that operate food-and-beverage outlets on consignment at multiuse facilities such as airports, railway stations, hospitals, and performance halls.
Lotte GRS has recently been expanding by securing operating rights at locations including Incheon International Airport and the Seoul Arts Center. From January to May this year, concession sales rose about 60% from a year earlier. Entering the National Museum of Korea signifies an expansion of what had been an airport- and station-centered business into cultural facilities.
Museums also need to attract professional restaurant operators. If they can reliably accommodate the surge in visitors and create a flow that leads to dining, rest, and product purchases, they can lengthen stays and raise satisfaction.
The National Museum of Korea is transforming from a place to view artifacts into a K-culture complex where visitors also enjoy food and beverages, shopping, and rest. For restaurant companies, it is a commercial zone that attracts millions and a stage for brand promotion, while for the museum, it is infrastructure that completes the viewing experience.
A distribution industry official said, "In the past, food-and-beverage facilities inside museums were regarded as auxiliary amenities for visitor convenience, but recently they have grown into core content that extends stays and completes the overall viewing experience," adding, "Given the National Museum of Korea's stable drawing power and its brand promotion effects for foreign tourists, competition among major restaurant companies for operating rights will become even fiercer."