On the 11th, the cafeteria of the semiconductor equipment company Wonik IPS in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. This day was when the special dish 'Umakase Doenjang Galbi' was served. Umakase Doenjang Galbi is a dish that gained popularity after being introduced on a TV program. The 'original chef' of this menu is Yun Nam-no, who became famous through the Culinary Class Wars. Chef Yun visited the cafeteria on this special day to serve food that he cooked himself. A representative from CJ Freshway, which operates the cafeteria, said, 'We planned this event to expand the value of the cafeteria beyond just a space for meals and to provide a high-quality dining experience and various content.'
According to the related industry on the 15th, meal service companies are actively collaborating with gourmet food. CJ Freshway is not the only one planning such events. Samsung Welstory plans to expand global collaborations to allow employees to taste British 'Gordon Ramsay Street Burger' and Singaporean gourmet restaurants in their cafeterias during the second half of this year.
Samsung Welstory has already showcased products from world-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay's burger brand in its cafeterias last month. OURHOME seems to focus on collaborations with well-known brands, typically introducing menus in partnership with chicken galbi restaurant 'Yugane' or curry specialty shop 'Abiko.'
Meal service companies are increasingly interested in gourmet areas or major dining brands for collaboration planning in connection with cafeteria operations, driven by fierce bidding wars. Typically, meal service companies participate in bids for cafeteria operation rights every 2 to 3 years. Although competition was intense in the past, the criteria for bids have changed recently, making the competition fiercely different.
In the past, meal service contractors focused more on setting the lowest bid prices. This was often because companies viewed cafeteria operating costs simply as expenses. The responsible department typically fell under the administration department. The target customers for meal service contractors were, of course, employees of the administration department.
However, recently, the human resources department has become more involved in selecting meal service contractors. This is because more people now view meals served in the cafeteria as part of 'employee welfare programs.' The target customers have shifted to human resources employees, and employee satisfaction surveys are now a necessary part of bidding criteria. Hence, the reason why cafeterias, which used to serve standard meals of rice, soup, and three side dishes, now feature special dishes on holidays and New Year's.
A representative from a meal service company stated, 'To avoid losing the meal service sites we manage, employee satisfaction during ongoing evaluations must be high, and keeping a record can be used later when bidding for other business sites.'
As the atmosphere changes, there are cases where employees react sensitively to reviews on the anonymous app Blind. It's fortunate when a review states 'delicious' or when a post boasting about a special dish is uploaded, but reactions are sensitive in the opposite case. Meal service companies concluded that it's better to frequently hold promotional events to prevent evaluations stating 'not tasty' or 'substandard.'
A representative from the strategic division of a meal service company noted, 'To prevent evaluations of being not tasty or substandard, it is important to implement timely changes,' explaining that this is why they provide special food that people are likely to enjoy or collaborate with famous chefs.
Industry insiders believe that the 'gourmet competition' taking place in cafeterias will continue for some time. This is because OURHOME has been incorporated into Hanwha Group, intensifying the underlying competition for meal service contracts.
In fact, OURHOME has pushed out Foodist, which had operated the cafeteria at Hanwha Group's headquarters in Janggyo-dong, Seoul, to secure the operating rights for the cafeteria. It has recently won the rights to operate military dining facilities at three Air Force bases, which are considered new businesses in the food sector.
A representative from the meal service industry commented, 'Since companies operating cafeterias are fixed, when one side wins a contract, the other side loses. It's like riding a wave; when one side jumps in, the other has no choice but to follow suit. Various events aimed at increasing employee satisfaction will continue for the foreseeable future.'