CJ Foodville Leads New Normal Safe Restaurants Including Vips and Gyejeol Bapsang

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] CJ Foodville, which operates dining brands such as VIPS, Season’s Table, Jeil Jemyunso, and The Place, announced on the 15th that it is taking the lead in bold investments and service improvements aimed at becoming the ‘safest restaurant.’

CJ Foodville’s dining brand locations nationwide are focusing more than ever on store operations for the health of employees and customers. As a specialized dining company facing the New Normal, the company plans to continuously develop the standards of ‘safe restaurants’ to near perfection and manage them thoroughly at the highest industry level.

The enhanced store operation guidelines prepared by CJ Foodville go far beyond government and local government standards. Basically, all customers entering the stores have their temperature automatically measured by a contactless AI thermal scanner installed at the entrance. Customers visiting VIPS and Season’s Table either verify their electronic entry log via QR code or fill out a manual entry log.

What stands out most is the significant reduction of in-store music volume by about 30% compared to before. The University of Cambridge research team’s “275 Recommendations to Reduce COVID-19 Infection,” published on April 13, advises turning off music in public places to encourage social distancing. Reducing ambient noise allows conversations to be held at lower volumes while maintaining safe distances, greatly reducing the distance and amount of droplet spread.

Hygiene management in all areas accessible to customers pursues perfection. Tables, chairs, and handles used by customers are disinfected frequently. Antibacterial films have been applied to store entrance door handles, call bells for staff, and beverage dispensers. Some stores also offer online queueing. Instead of using waiting areas, customers leave their name and contact information on tablets covered with antibacterial film and wait nearby; they are contacted and admitted in order. Transparent partitions protecting both staff and customers have been installed at cash registers, and floor stickers indicating where to queue have been placed. Customers wait about 1 meter apart according to the stickers. The replacement interval for shared tongs at VIPS salad bars and Season’s Table has been drastically reduced to under 30 minutes.

A ‘Dining Etiquette’ campaign involving customers is also underway. Use of hand sanitizers placed on tables and throughout the store is encouraged regularly. Wearing masks and disposable gloves is mandatory when taking food at VIPS salad bars and Season’s Table, and customers are asked to refrain from conversation as much as possible. Additionally, shared food should be served onto individual plates, and sneezing or coughing should be covered with sleeves as a rule.

Earlier, VIPS strengthened customer safety services immediately after the COVID-19 outbreak. They adjusted spacing between tables and provided individually usable forks, spoons, and disposable hygienic gloves at the salad bar. For customers wishing to minimize contact with staff, a dedicated table for clearing dishes has been set up to enable contactless intermediate service.

A CJ Foodville official said, “With the determination that a new era has arrived, we are constantly thinking about and improving what services and investments are necessary to guarantee ‘safety.’ As a specialized dining company, we will strive even harder to ensure that our efforts become the standard for the ‘safest restaurant’ through this opportunity.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.