Make a reservation and have dinner… Gwanghwamun~Yongin 60,000 won era

Park Mo (54), an executive at a large company, had a disturbing experience recently. After having dinner at Gwanghwamun, Seoul, I sang the deputy driver around 9 PM, but I had to wait in the car for over an hour. On the 4th, Mr. Park said, “After ending dinner at 9 PM and looking for a substitute driver at the same time, I knew I had to wait without hesitation.” “I said.

The way people spend dinner time is also changing significantly as the’prohibition of gatherings of more than 5 people and no meals in stores after 9 pm’ due to the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) has become a routine. With Corona 19, the decline in sales of self-employed people became a chronic disease, and the way consumers behave completely changed.

Taxi waiting for passengers on the road near Seoul Station last November. [연합뉴스]

Like Mr. Park, it became basic to make a reservation for a substitute article when there was an appointment for dinner. Not making a reservation can lead to embarrassing situations. According to Kakao Mobility, a proxy operator for Kakao T, 75.5% of all proxy driving calls for the last two weeks (January 18-31) were concentrated in the evening (6 p.m. to 10 p.m.). In November of last year, the proportion of calls during this time was 31.7%. At that time, between 10 pm and 2 am, calls accounted for 53.6% of the total. Kakao Mobility said, “The utilization rate decreased between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM, when the demand of Kakao is the most, and the amount of movement between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM increased very much.” It also seems to be that fast.

Representation of Kakao T The proportion of calls by time has increased or decreased. Graphic = Reporter Cha Junhong [email protected]

As the time to call the deputy article accelerated, the cost also increased. At the end of last year, the cost of a surrogate article from Gwanghwamun in Seoul to Suji in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, was about 35,000 won, and recently, around 9pm, the cost of a surrogate article has soared to 60,000 won. An official in the agency driving industry said, “If you ask if you want to raise the price because the call cannot be caught, in most cases, there are many people who are compelled to respond.” He said, “That doesn’t mean that the agency makes a lot of money,” he said. “Since there are fewer calls and I get it once a day, I prefer to go far or use the close distance twice,” he said.

According to the quarantine guidelines, you can eat at a general restaurant until 9 pm, but around 8 pm, the atmosphere is spreading early on for dinner. This is because it is difficult to take a taxi and public transportation such as buses and subways is crowded when they come out at 9 PM. The taxi industry is also crying out for such a situation. Kim Young-hwan, a 22-year-old taxi driver, said, “After picking up one team at 9 o’clock, there are really no customers from then on.” “Since 8:30 PM, you can only operate properly for an hour. I have no choice but to like it,” he said.

As the sales of the taxi industry declined due to Corona 19, the implementation of the full salary system for taxi drivers is also being delayed. The government and local governments plan to introduce the full pay system for corporate taxi drivers from Seoul this year. The full pay system was introduced to ensure minimum income for taxi drivers who worked 40 hours or more a week. However, as the basic physical strength of taxi companies is weakened by Corona 19, it is in fact difficult to implement. A high-ranking official in Seoul said, “The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is demanding the Seoul city to implement the full pay system, but considering the circumstances of the taxi company and the city finances, it is not easy to implement it right away.” .

As the number of people in the group is grouped into ‘4 or less’, the atmosphere in which the meeting itself is separated by generation and position is also spreading. The company’s departmental dinners have drastically decreased, and it is becoming a practice that only working-level employees attend business meetings with external companies. SK Group manager Moon Seong-joon said, “I am worried that communication between generations and positions is virtually cut off due to the ban on grouping. “No.”

Photos Andaz Seoul Gangnam

The hotel industry is releasing new products to meet these changes. Andaz Seoul Gangnam, a Hyatt-affiliated hotel, gained popularity at the end of last year as the’Lady’s & Guys Night Out Package’ where friends and acquaintances can enjoy drinks and food while staying in a suite room. The package includes a basket of alcoholic beverages including vodka and hangover remedies, as well as ramen for the next morning. It is a product that allows you to enjoy alcoholic beverages in your hotel room until after 9 PM, and even ramen for seaweed the next morning. Although the number of hotel guests has plummeted due to Corona 19, reservations for this package were almost full by the end of next month.

Reporters Lee Soo-ki and Chu In-young [email protected]