It pays to wait: Substitute queuers line up outside bars, restaurants as time takes precedence

Across Korea, more people are paying others to wait in lines for popular bars, restaurants and bakeries, expanding a trend that was once nearly exclusive to limited edition luxury shopping.

People line up to enter a bar near in the Hongdae area in western Seoul on Dec. 31, 2025. [HAN CHAN-WOO]

A job posting on the e-commerce app Karrot offering 30,000 won ($20) to wait in line drew 30 applicants on Dec. 26 last year.

It was a precursor to what followed days later.

On the night of New Year's Eve, long lines stretched outside bars, restaurants and arcades in the Hongdae area in western Seoul, even as a cold snap drove temperatures to minus 8 degrees Celsius (17 degrees Fahrenheit).

A person surnamed Park stood among the crowds after working as a professional queuer for more than five years.

“Requests to wait in line for high-end hotel restaurants and bars have increased a lot recently,” Park said. “I earn 4 million to 5 million won a month on average. During the Covid-19 period, some people made up to 8 million won, so some treat it as their main job.”

Posts seeking queuers have appeared outside Seoul as well. A user on Karrot in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, wrote, “I’m looking for someone to stand in line at a bar in Sangnam-dong for 50,000 won on Jan. 1.”

People line up to enter a bar in the Hongdae area of western Seoul on Dec. 31, 2025. [HAN CHAN-WOO]

Other posts listed different reasons. One said the writer wanted to enter a venue the moment midnight struck. Another said the writer did not want to waste time with their partner.

Queuing jobs once centered on limited-edition luxury goods. The work now extends to restaurants, bars and bakeries as crowds return to nightlife districts.

The market has grown since the late 2010s and demand rose further during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, with some workers treating queuing as specialized part-time work.

Recent spikes in demand have followed the popularity of specific shops and desserts. Customers have flocked to Sungsimdang, a well-known bakery in Daejeon, and to cafes that sell a trendy dessert such as the Dubai chewy cookie.

Customers queue to buy bread near Sungsimdang in Daejeon on Dec. 23, 2025. [NEWS1]

Most of these jobs pay around the minimum hourly wage of 10,320 won. Some listings include extra pay depending on the time, location and weather.

“Outdoor waiting pays more, and rates during peak seasons like the end of the year and New Year’s rise by about 50 percent,” said the owner of a queuing service business.

Experts said the rise of platforms that facilitate such arrangements and shifting consumer attitudes drove the sharp increase in people who willingly pay for someone to stand in line.

"Consumers once accepted inconvenience as part of shopping, but many now treat time and effort as transaction costs and pay extra to reduce them," said Choi Chul, a professor of consumer economics at Sookmyung Women’s University.

Others said the shift also reflects how online platforms make it easier to turn that demand into paid services.

“Internet and platform growth make it easy to connect people offering even small services with those who need them,” said Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer studies at Inha University. “Services driven by more specific demand, such as paying someone to wait in line for a bar, will keep emerging."

The trend has also drawn criticism.

"Standing in line for someone else does not break current law, but it can draw ethical criticism because people use money to secure limited goods and services," Kwak Jun-ho, an attorney at the law firm Chung, said.

Other lawyers said the practice can also raise legal issues.

“There is no regulation for organized queuing businesses,” Chun Jung-min, an attorney at the law firm Daeryun, said. “Some stores explicitly ban it, and if someone refuses to leave after a store orders them out, the situation could lead to a legal dispute."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY HAN CHAN-WOO,LEE AH-MI [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]