Proposal for 'Customer Customized Menu Composition and Service'
Will Accelerate Targeting the US Food and Beverage Market
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] Comprehensive food company Ourhome is making a full-scale entry into the US group catering market.
Ourhome's US subsidiary, OURHOME CATERING (hereinafter Ourhome), announced on the 1st that it has signed a contract to operate the cafeteria of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
The USPS is a public institution overseeing postal services in the United States. Ourhome plans to open an exclusive cafeteria for USPS LA headquarters employees at the end of this month. The cafeteria will be 430 pyeong (1,421㎡) in size and operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
This is the first time a domestic group catering company has won a contract to operate a cafeteria in a US public institution. It is a remarkable achievement 21 years after Ourhome was established in 2000 and 11 years after entering the overseas group catering market.
The US market, especially public institution-related projects, requires meeting stringent standards, making this achievement even more significant. Key evaluation factors include a proven track record of operating large-scale cafeterias, solid infrastructure such as research, manufacturing, and logistics systems, and the expertise of the personnel in charge. Additionally, only companies that provide a high level of welfare benefits to employees in accordance with US government agency standards are qualified as partners. Since Ourhome has met the qualification requirements demanded by US public institutions, it is expected to accelerate the expansion of its group catering business in the US market.
Seven global group catering companies reportedly competed fiercely in the public bidding for the exclusive operation of the USPS LA headquarters employee cafeteria. Ourhome emphasized its strengths such as its experience and competitiveness in the Korean group catering market, improvements made based on customer complaints and satisfaction, proposals for ordering and serving operations considering employee work patterns, and being the parent company of HACOR, an in-flight meal provider based at LA Airport.
Ourhome cited "customer-tailored service proposals" as the key point of this contract win. They proposed five different sections?regular meals (local US cuisine), takeout, grill, salad bar, etc.?allowing customers to choose their preferred menu. Especially considering the work patterns of customer employees (postal workers), they introduced an online/mobile ordering system and significantly strengthened the takeout menu. They plan to apply the in-flight meal manufacturing know-how accumulated through HACOR operations to the cafeteria's takeout menu to provide high-quality one-plate meals. Additionally, they plan to offer a variety of Grab&Go menus that allow customers to conveniently take prepared food and eat it easily.
An Ourhome official said, "This proves that Ourhome's cafeteria operation, management capabilities, menu, and service competitiveness are at a world-class level," adding, "Based on the know-how and experience accumulated in the domestic market, we plan to actively expand the group catering business in the US as well as the HMR food business and in-flight meal business."
Meanwhile, Ourhome first entered the overseas market in 2010 by becoming the first domestic company to enter the Chinese group catering market. Currently, it has four subsidiaries in China and operates entrusted and office cafeterias in 10 Chinese cities including Beijing, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Yantai. In 2017, it established a subsidiary in Haiphong, located in northeastern Vietnam, marking the start of its full-scale entry into Vietnam.
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