Some restaurant chains in South Korea are facing criticism for their cunning marketing campaigns amid soaring dining costs as deals come with strict conditions and portions become smaller at reduced prices.

According to industry sources on Tuesday, Kyochon Chicken, a fried chicken franchise managed by Kyochon Food & Beverage Co., is offering a membership day discount of up to 4,000 won ($3.08) for the first nine days of every month between June and August.

The discount is available when ordering through their own application and meeting certain conditions, according to Kyochon. However, consumers complain that the discount conditions are too demanding.

Kyochon offers membership day discounts only for orders of boneless menu items, raising suspicions that the chain may have introduced the deal to consume chicken flesh as the company is known for its signature drumstick and chicken wings.

Some consumers suggest that the company’s discount offer is an attempt to clear inventory, such as chicken breast.

The minimum order amount for the discount is 25,000 won, which is another reason why consumers are raising eyebrows. The only single menu item that meets this price requirement is its Signature Boneless Set that is priced at 33,000 won.

To enjoy the discount for any other dishes, customers need to place an additional order. Furthermore, the minimum order amount was 16,000 won in April and May, but it has increased significantly since this month.

Delivery platforms, meanwhile, have also been criticized for shifting the burden of discount events to restaurant owners.

In June, Baedal Minjok, a food delivery platform operated by Woowa Brothers Corp., launched a week-long discount event where the company returned 50 percent of the customer discount coupons to restaurant owners.

If a business owner issued a 3,000 won discount coupon and a customer used it to pay, Baemin returned 1,500 won back to the business owner.

The problem was that those coupons remained valid even after the promotion period ended, while the platform’s support was limited to the event period only.

After the event period ended, the entire discounted amount was solely borne by the business owners. Even the 50 percent returns were provided as points within the platform.

There are also restaurants that reduce serving portions when offering discounts.

Pizza Alvolo, a franchise pizza place, recently cut the prices of its pizzas by an average of 4,000 won but at the same time it also reduced the pizza size.

The company claimed that they adjusted the serving size as its pizzas were previously about one inch larger on average compared to other brands.

By Park Hong-joo and Chang Iou-chung

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]