Chicken and beer, long the standard pairing at South Korean baseball games, has lost its top spot to raw beef and cold fish soup, according to survey results that show a rapid shift in the ballpark delivery food landscape.
Raw Beef and Cold Fish Soup Sets Push Out Chicken
Delivery platform Yogiyo said on the 6th that the top-selling takeout and delivery item at ballparks this year was the raw beef and cold fish soup set, with a 26.9% share. Deep-fried green chili peppers ranked second at 11.2%, followed by chicken, once the signature ballpark menu item, at 10.5%.
The data showed that a wider range of unconventional dishes has taken over the position long dominated by chicken and beer. In a separate Yogiyo analysis of social media big data on ballpark food this year, the most frequently mentioned item was raw beef and raw-beef-topped salmon.
Lee, 31, a longtime fan of the SSG Landers, said: "There wasn't much variety before, so I mostly ate chicken and beer. Now there are more options and many dishes that taste better than chicken, so I find myself looking for something else."
Yogiyo said the findings "clearly show a shift in ballpark viewing culture led by people in their 20s and 30s," adding that instead of greasy food, fresh ingredients and higher-end fare that can be eaten cleanly outdoors and photographed for social media have rapidly emerged as ballpark favorites.
Another reading is that cold, savory sets of raw fish and raw beef have won over fans given that games are played in hot weather.
Takeout and Delivery Use Surges
Yogiyo operates takeout ordering and in-seat delivery services at major stadiums including SSG Landers Field in Incheon and Kiwoom's Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.
Takeout and delivery orders through Yogiyo at ballparks rose 37.3% so far this year from the same period a year earlier. The increase is attributed to longer wait times at popular outlets as stadium attendance grows, along with more fans wanting to eat comfortably without missing the action.
Analysts say the changes point to ballparks evolving beyond venues for watching games into combined dining and cultural spaces that pair varied food offerings with entertainment. Yogiyo said a culture is taking hold in which fans move away from the uniform chicken-and-beer formula and enjoy a wider range of "baseball food" tailored to individual tastes.
