Kim Dong-seon, the Vice President of Future Vision at Hanwha Hotels & Resorts, has reportedly opened a robot udon restaurant. Vice President Kim is the third son of Kim Seung-yeon, Chairman of Hanwha Group. It appears that he is seeking to expand the food and beverage (F&B) business by launching an udon brand utilizing food tech technology.
According to the retail industry on the 28th, Hanwha Food Tech, the food tech subsidiary of Hanwha Hotels & Resorts, recently opened an automated dining brand called 'Yudong' in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Hanwha Food Tech is a food tech company that develops automated cooking and unmanned store operation methods by combining dining and robotics. The newly opened Yudong is the third automated store following the pizza brand 'Stella Pizza' and the pasta specialty brand 'Pasta X,' which incorporate food tech technology.
Yudong is an automated brand where food tech robots directly cook udon and it operates 24 hours a day. The instant udon, previously made by machines, has been transformed robotically. In particular, since the entire process of cooking udon is carried out by robots, labor costs can be saved, thus ensuring price competitiveness. In fact, the price range of udon sold at Yudong is relatively affordable compared to other udon brands, with prices set at ▲ 2,000 won for old-style udon, ▲ 4,000 won for tofu udon, and ▲ 6,000 won for beef udon.
This is interpreted as being aligned with Vice President Kim's strategy to strengthen the dining business. Vice President Kim has been focusing on the dining business by recently launching the famous American gourmet burger brand 'Five Guys' and the premium ice cream brand 'Benson' in Korea through Hanwha Galleria.
A representative from Hanwha Hotels & Resorts noted, "Yudong is an experimental store for the development and application of various food tech concepts," adding, "As a food tech store newly introduced to the market, we plan to showcase new services to as many customers as possible and focus on receiving a variety of feedback." They further added, "There are currently no set plans for business expansion."