Americano, the 'standout supporting actor,' and the 'value-for-money' hamburger were selected as menu items driving delivery and dining-out trends in the first half of this year in the 2026 Baemin Dining Trend.
Baemin Dining Trend is content based on Baedal Minjok's vast data that introduces partners to know-how and strategies for using delivery and dining-out trends. In this edition, it analyzed market trends based on order data from January to May this year.
First, Americano orders from January to May this year jumped by nearly 60% from the same period last year. Analysts say the early-year popularity of the Dubai Chewy Cookie influenced the increase. In the first quarter, Americano was included in 12.7% of Dubai dessert orders, about 10 times higher than cafe latte, which ranked second at 1.3%. Americano orders kept rising even after the Dubai chewy cookie craze faded in March. While trendy desserts kept changing, from butter rice cakes to salt bread, the trend appears to reflect Americano's strength as a drink that pairs well with almost any food. The most frequently ordered menu items with Americano from January to May this year, excluding beverages, were: 1st, salt bread; 2nd, cookies; 3rd, rice cakes; 4th, financiers; and 5th, waffles. Other top 100 items ordered with Americano included soup tteokbokki at 20th, kimchi fried rice at 44th, and seasoned fried chicken at 95th. The trend also shows that people are increasingly enjoying Americano with dishes that were previously paired with soft drinks and other beverages.
As more customers look for cheap meals amid high inflation, hamburger orders also increased. From January to May, hamburger orders rose 14.2% from a year earlier and were up 46.5% from two years ago. Analysts also say that various burger brands have helped fuel the trend by rolling out new products that use unusual ingredients or collaborations with famous chefs, targeting consumers who want both value and fun. Baemin Dining Trend also noted, "Another interesting point is that burger side dishes are expanding beyond the traditional french fries to include cheese sticks, hash browns, corn salad, and coleslaw."
Kim So-hyung, compact@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
