South Korea’s foreign population has surpassed 2 million, accounting for 3.9 percent of the population, 2022 government data showed. South Korea has over 640,000 restaurants; however, 80% fail in the first five years. So why are these restaurants in Korea failing? Most are failing to incorporate new food technologies and capitalizing on the foreigner community in Korea.
The foreign community in Korea is huge. There are 2.6 million foreigners living in Korea (1.8 million registered), according to data released by the Ministry of Justice as of early 2023. Therefore Korea is now a multicultural society as foreigners account for 7% of the population. That is 7% of the market many Korean restaurants are not reaching. Seoul and Gyeonggi Province combined account for close to 700,000 foreigners.
Korean food delivery apps today are difficult to use if you don’t understand Korean. This is why most foreigners in Korea use the Food Delivery App Shuttle Delivery.
Every member of the Shuttle Delivery team is an English speaker; therefore, their customer service can communicate with you and help you solve any issues. Foreigners in Korea can use Shuttle every day from 11 am until midnight. They are even open on holidays.
The company started in Itaewon, a foreigner-friendly district in Seoul. Itaewon has by far the best collection of foreign restaurants in Korea. Shuttle Delivery curated all the best restaurants in Itaewon onto its platform. Their main targets were ex-pats, foreign tourists, and Korean Americans/Westerners working in Korea. Today they are the biggest food delivery platform for the ex-pat community in Seoul and have expanded outside of Seoul to cities like Busan and Pyeongtaek. CEO Jason Boutte founded Shuttle when he couldn’t find a single restaurant that would deliver his favorite food, a burrito. So he decided to start his food delivery service.
“I didn’t know anything about the delivery business at first. But I started the business because I felt very passionate about solving my own problem,” said Jason.
From there it was a huge grind. Jason had to hustle and hustle he did. He bought three bikes and waited outside schools to recruit students to work part-time. He built his webpage and soon decided to work with his main competition in Itaewon Bird Riders Food Delivery. The company they came up with was Shuttle Delivery. What makes Shuttle Delivery so successful is engaging with the community and going out of its way to ensure customers are satisfied. Therefore they have been able to create a strong community that has helped Shuttle grow.
Delivery time ranges from 40-60 minutes depending on the restaurant. The delivery fee will depend on the location. The further you are from the restaurant the higher the delivery cost. A helpful tip is not to select a restaurant that is too far away. The reason being that the delivery fee will be higher, it will take longer, and the food quality will not be as good.
Users of Shuttle see a wide range of restaurants, and each will have its page where you can see the restaurant menu and the price. They also provide office hours and prep time estimates.
What is awesome about Shuttle is that the user can also request the driver to stop by the local CU or store to bring extra items such as soda, ice cream, cigarettes, soju, etc. There will be an additional 20% delivery fee for all items purchased at the store.
Shuttle Delivery has a great customer service support system. If users have any issues, they can message the team on their Facebook page. Or they can call their English customer service hotline at 1661-8482.
Paying with KakaoPay is the easiest way to pay for your order on Shuttle. KakaoPay is very easy to set up if you have a Korean bank account in your name. First, click on the … right next to the hashtag option on your Kakao app. There will be a box at the top with the “pay” logo and to the right, you will find 송금 and 결제. Click on 송금 and connect your Korean bank account to it. Then click on 결제 and select the Korean bank you just connected to.
Shuttle Credit
Users can earn Shuttle credits by recommending Shuttle Delivery to their friends. Users can use the Shuttle credits to pay for their meals.
Crave Catering
This is Shuttle’s full-service catering operation. They have already catered events for the American Chamber of Commerce, the British Chamber of Commerce, the British Embassy, the Seoul Foreign School, and Yongsan International School.
Finally, foreigners in Korea can get delicious food delivered directly to their homes. There is no need to speak Korean, write/read Korean, or have a Korean phone number. Shuttle Delivery continues to add more and more restaurants every day. They are also expanding their reach across Seoul and have already expanded outside of Seoul and into Busan. Those living in their covered zones should download their app immediately.
Shuttle Delivery is not looking to be the cheapest food delivery service but the best. Therefore they put service and quality over everything else. They are not looking to add all the pizza restaurants but the best restaurants in Seoul. If you look through their menu, you will find various authentic gourmet food. Their curation of restaurants is a key feature that sets them apart from their competitors. Nothing is better than relaxing at home and having the food come to you. Foreigners living in Korea who haven’t used Shuttle are missing out. Here is a list of some of our favorite foods we order from Shuttle Delivery.
Price: 13,000 won
Nori Table is our choice as the best restaurant for Shuttle Delivery. This is mainly because we love rolls! However, in Korea, it is hard to find good sushi rolls. Thank god for Nori Table. Nori Table is the best Japanese restaurant in Seoul for Sushi Rolls. They have a large selection of sushi rolls. Some of our other favorites are The Swaggy G which is a spicy tuna roll with shrimp tempura inside, and the Mount Holla, which is an avocado, hamachi, and cucumber roll that is cut into pieces and then topped with tempura flakes, spicy sauce, eel sauce, and fish eggs. Nori Table is the best Japanese Restaurant in Seoul that focuses on Sushi Rolls.
Nori Table is located in Itaewon but getting it is a bit difficult. This is why it is best to order these delicious rolls using Shuttle.
Price: 5,900 won
The best Turkish Kebab is not from Halal Guys but from Ankara Picnic. Ankara Picnic has the best Kebab in Seoul. Usually, there is a line out the door at Anakara Picnic, but foreigners in Seoul still travel to Itaewon to eat this chicken kebab. Thanks to Shuttle, you can have this delivered to your home. The chicken kebab has lettuce, tomato, a single slice of pickle, spicy sauce, and their famous white sauce. It is the white sauce that makes all the difference. We would recommend their Chicken sandwich more which will fill you up and tastes as good as the Kebab.
Tip: Get the white sauce on the side so your sandwich or kebab does not get too soggy.
Price: 18,000 won
The best New York pizza in Seoul has to be from Gino’s New York Pizza. Can you tell me really like pizza at Seoulz? We not only recommend the cheese pizza but all their pizzas. The pizza has a hot thin crust which is the classic New York style. The cheese is nice and stringy. We would also recommend the pepperoni pizza, which is not cheap with the topping! We suggest you also order the hot buffalo wings for 10,000 won. A large pizza and wings are more than enough for two people.
Price: 12,000 won
For those who love Thai curry, we suggest the Chicken Green Curry at Amazing Thai. Amazing Thai offers some of the best Thai curries in Seoul. The coconut curry is super creamy and goes perfectly with the rice. We recommend you share the curry as too much green curry could be too much. A couple of spoons of green curry go great with Pad Thai (12,000 won). What makes the green curry great is that you can always eat it later with homemade rice, which will taste just as good.
Price: 10,900 won
The famous Halal Guys from the streets of New York are in Seoul. Those that love the chicken platter can now have it delivered to their home thanks to Shuttle Delivery. The chicken platter is huge and might be too much to finish in one go. Mix the platter fully before eating to get the full experience. Be careful because the sauce is very spicy, and you should get the spicy sauce on the side. We would also recommend falafel for those that do not eat meat. Halal Guys are located in Itaewon and Gangnam, so the delivery time is usually under 30 minutes.
This is a steamed barramundi fish in a sauce made with lots of fresh lime juice, garlic, and chilies. We would recommend you eat this with at least one other person. It is both sweet and sour and goes great with a rice bowl. I would see this while walking past Saint Augustin, but of course, I would never order it alone. So when I saw it on Shuttle Delivery, I decided to try it, and it was for sure worth it. A bit on the pricy side but 100% worth the try.
Price: 10,800 won
Shuttle Delivery has many healthy options for those who want to eat healthily, from vegetarian to clean dishes like the Poke Bowl. They offer a wide range of fresh toppings. Our favorite is the Hawaiian Classic Poke and the Yuzu Ponzu Salmon Poke (pictured above). The Yuzu Ponzu is a gently cured salmon aged in rice wine and kombu. It is softly marinated in the custom yuzu-ponzu sauce. The perfect clean meal!
Our favorite dish at Buddha’s Belly can now be delivered to our home! For those that have not tried Massaman Curry, don’t miss out. It has a spicy coconut milky broth. In addition, it has coriander, galangal, garlic, Thai chilies, chicken, and potato. Finding a great Massaman curry is hard, but Buddha Belly does it right.
Price; 16,000 won
16,000 won for Pad Thai might be expensive, but it is well worth it. Ssong Thai has by far the best Pad Thai in Seoul. We would also recommend the Pad Kao Pak, Pak Tod, and Lemon Grass Soup. It is open late, so you can get your Thai fix after work!
A great place to order a wide range of pizzas. The pizza is a long-shaped piece of pizza. Furthermore, up to 20 different kinds of pizza are made at Trevia. The cheese is made from 100% Italian milk. They also have cheese-free pizza for vegans. Our other favorites are the mixed mushrooms, potato & sweet potato, and the Pineapple Margherita.
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