Sushi omakase has moved beyond a passing fad to become a routine dining option in South Korea. Demand is rising both from diners seeking omakase at affordable prices and from those visiting premium restaurants for a special culinary experience, while repeat customers are also increasing.
CatchTable, operated by restaurant solutions provider WAD, said on the 20th that cumulative bookings for sushi omakase from January to August this year hit a record high, based on an analysis of reservation data from 2020 through August this year. The figure is 3.9 times the level in the same period of 2021.
Sushi omakase bookings rose 120.2% in 2022 and 24.7% in 2023 from a year earlier, helped by travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and growing demand for small-group dining. Growth slowed to 0.4% in 2024 as overseas travel resumed and inflation weighed on spending, but bookings began recovering in the fourth quarter of 2024. Last year, bookings posted double-digit year-on-year growth for four straight quarters, and monthly bookings in December were the highest on record.
By price range, value-oriented and high-end restaurants grew side by side. From January to August this year, bookings at restaurants charging 30,000 to 50,000 won rose 14.4% from a year earlier, while those at restaurants charging 150,000 won or more rose 18%. The combined share of these two price ranges in total bookings widened to 27.7% this year from 14.1% in 2022. Restaurants charging 50,000 to 100,000 won still accounted for 51.9% of all bookings.
Customers booking omakase multiple times also increased. As of August this year, the number of customers who had booked sushi omakase three or more times over the previous 12 months was up 15.5% from two years earlier. Those booking four or more times rose 14%, and those booking seven or more times rose 12.1%. The share of customers rebooking within a year of their previous reservation also climbed, reaching 49.1% last year.
An official at CatchTable said searches for specific omakase restaurant names were more than 10 times as common as searches for the generic keyword "omakase." "It appears that consumers are not just searching for omakase as a category but are seeking out and booking their preferred restaurants directly," the official said.
Separately, CatchTable is running a "Sushi Road" promotion that highlights popular sushi restaurants and offers booking benefits. The company selects a monthly list of popular sushi restaurants and gives CatchPoints to customers who visit. Bookings at participating restaurants rose 14.9% during the week from the 6th of this month, compared with the average for the same day of the week before the promotion opened.