Why Did the Seongdong-gu Gyeongdannyeo Women Unite?

Revenue Generation through Online Delivery Catering Service Launch, Sales Soar Amid Prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic

Participants in the self-sufficiency program preparing ready-to-eat meals for the catering service

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) is operating a ‘Catering Self-Sufficiency Project’ targeting women who find it difficult to secure jobs due to career interruptions and decreased employability.

The ‘Catering Business’ provides convenient foods such as cakes, sandwiches, and cookies suitable for meetings, events, and venues. This business has become increasingly popular recently due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the rising demand for non-face-to-face convenient meals.

Last year, the Seongdong Regional Self-Sufficiency Center (Director Lee Seon-hwa) opened the caf? ‘Daon’ as part of the self-sufficiency project to create jobs for women with career interruptions.

This year, in addition to operating this professional coffee shop, they launched a ‘Catering Service’ to generate stable revenue. This was inspired by the soaring popularity of customized delivery services for people who feel hesitant to visit restaurants due to COVID-19.

Since February, the district has sequentially provided catering and barista expert training to eight self-sufficiency participants, and in March, launched the professional catering online delivery service ‘Daon Catering.’ The service quickly delivers freshly made customized convenient meals and has received positive reviews for its taste, resulting in a 31% increase in sales compared to the caf?’s average monthly sales last year.

Participant Ms. Lee (46) said, “After quitting my job to raise my child, I struggled to find work and only managed part-time jobs. I am very grateful to have been employed at the caf? through the self-sufficiency center and to have received certification training.” She added, “I enjoy coming to work as I come up with various business ideas to increase sales and develop new menu items.”

A district official stated, “The profits, excluding business expenses, are distributed to participants, which boosts their motivation to work.” He added, “We provide on-site training at various social enterprises and certification education in related fields to participants, helping them accumulate experience through store operation and paving the way for them to achieve self-sufficiency and independence.”

The district plans to develop new menus based on customer needs and expand business areas. It also intends to broaden the target participants to include women from multicultural families, further activating women-led self-sufficiency projects.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “I applaud many women who strive to improve themselves and become central members of society without settling for the status quo.” He added, “We will continue to do our best to establish a foundation for self-sufficiency by preparing various support measures for socially marginalized groups so they can develop their abilities and stand on their own.”

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