[Interview] Bringing safety and security to the gateway to Japan - Restaurants at Haneda Airport
- 株式会社フードピクト
- 4月10日
- 読了時間: 6分
Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd., which built, manages, and operates Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport), the gateway to Japan's skies, has been using FOODPICT since 2018 and is actively promoting its introduction to its food and beverage tenants.
As the number of foreign visitors to Japan recovers, the number of passengers using the airport is expected to exceed 80 million in fiscal year 2023, making the facility the "face of Japan" that welcomes customers from all over the world. We spoke with the airport management company and two food and beverage tenants that use FOODPICT at this highly public airport that sees a diverse range of users coming and going every day.
― Could you tell us what prompted you to introduce FOODPICT and how things have progressed since then?
The deciding factor in adopting the system was that it had already been adopted by many restaurants and cafes around the country, including Narita International Airport and Kansai International Airport. The decision was also made at the time due to momentum building to cater to guests with a variety of dietary restrictions in the run up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
When introducing the system, FOODPICT also provided training for tenants and support for individual stores, helping to promote its adoption at restaurants within the building.
Our company pays licensing fees according to the number of stores, and each store uses the system free of charge. We actively encourage its introduction, providing information about it when new stores open and also notifying them at monthly store manager meetings.
FOODPICT's design and manuals are updated regularly to reflect changes in laws regarding allergy labeling, and we share this information with our tenants as it occurs.
― What benefits have you noticed from adopting FOODPICT?
It's good that religious dietary restrictions and items related to allergy labeling are fully covered. Since there are some things that are inevitably missing with free materials, it’s important for a public facility such as an airport to have the peace of mind that everything is properly covered and updated according to changes in the law.
Also, considering that passengers board an airplane after eating a meal, there is a risk of suddenly falling ill due to allergies, etc. We are grateful that FOODPICT can prevent such risks in advance.
Furthermore, while the number of situations where we have to deal with foreign customers is increasing, it cannot be said that there are enough people who can speak English. Therefore, the FOODPICT tool not only helps existing staff, but also has the benefit of eliminating concerns when hiring new staff. Before the introduction, we were unable to deal with foreign customers well, and customers would feel uneasy and leave the store, but I think that the tool has led to a reduction in such lost opportunities.
― Please tell us about the recent usage status of the airport, including inbound tourists, and your outlook for the future.
The Japanese government has set a goal of increasing the number of foreign visitors to Japan to 60 million by 2030 (*1), and I feel that the number of foreign customers is increasing on site as well. I’ve heard that even in Terminal 2, which houses both domestic and international flights, the number of foreign customers is increasing.
Our airport is also expecting an increase in foreign customers with the expansion of international flight facilities in Terminal 2 in 2020, so this year two vegan restaurants have opened in anticipation. With the increase in inbound tourists, there has also been an increase in customer requests for vegan and other food diversity options.
I think that in recent years, there has been an increase in public demand regarding allergies, so we feel that we need to increase the number of food options available to our customers. We would also like to continue promoting the use of FOODPICT so that we can provide safe and secure services to any customer.
For this interview, we also spoke with food and beverage tenants who are actually using FOODPICT.
Store 1: Castelmola
Take the time to create your menu and reduce the burden of daily operations.
At our restaurant, we try to avoid using pre-made products as much as possible and instead serve dishes made with seasonal ingredients. For that reason, when updating the menu, the head chef checks the ingredients, and then I and other staff members double and triple check to make sure there are no mistakes, creating the menu while carefully checking the FOODPICTS. To be honest, it does take a lot of work, but having the FOODPICTS makes it easier to streamline daily operations and deal with manpower shortages.
With labor shortages becoming an issue throughout the restaurant industry, it would be difficult for all staff, including student part-timers, to have specialized knowledge. Menus with FOODPICTS indicate which ingredients you need to be careful of. Considering the hassle this causes during business hours, we feel that having FOODPICTS is beneficial for both customers and employees.
One aspect of using FOODPICT is that it can be difficult to adjust the menu, but we make daily adjustments by, for example, changing the accompanying vegetables while still sticking to the basic recipe so as not to affect the FOODPICT display. Above all, allergy display is a matter of life and death, so the benefits are irreplaceable.
In terms of communication with customers, I think many people look at the FOODPICTS displayed on the menu, judge to some extent whether they can eat the food, and then when ordering, they say, just to be sure, "I'm allergic to XX, so please leave it out." I think that shows how widespread pictograms are in society. Compared to before the introduction, I feel that fewer people are asking staff about ingredients before ordering.
Store 2: Sanuki Udon Hannyabayashi
During speedy customer service, employees can see the ingredients at a glance.
Our restaurant is a self-service udon restaurant. Located at an airport, it seems that many customers are in a hurry to eat within the limited time available. As we receive well over 10,000 customers per month, we are conscious of efficient communication and place emphasis on speed in our operations. The number of inbound tourists is also on the rise, and I would say that roughly 30-40% of our customers are foreign. Some of our staff aren’t good at English, so there are times when it’s difficult to communicate with them, such as where to return the dishes or whether the udon has soup in it or not.
In such an environment, I feel that displaying FOODPICTS is effective for employee education. FOODPICT has a great effect in that employees can understand at a glance the ingredients used in each dish and can answer questions. I think there are lists of allergy ingredients, but they’re long and contain a lot of information, so they’re difficult to remember and it’s a hassle to have to look at them every time. If there are menus with FOODPICTS, there are fewer mistakes and no training is needed to memorize them, so it’s very helpful in terms of employee education.
This time, we spoke to people who are working hard every day on the front lines of international airports, where a wide variety of users gather. With the support of the government's inbound tourism policies, and the need to respond to even greater food diversity, we heard not only about the benefits of FOODPICT, but also about their requests for the future and the challenges they face in increasing the number of stores that introduce the system.
At FOODPICT Inc., we provide training at the time of and after implementation, as well as updates to reflect changes in the law, so that commercial facilities and restaurants can make effective use of FOODPICT. Through this follow-up, we hope to communicate and listen to store owners' opinions, and strive to further expand and improve our services.
Thank you to everyone who cooperated with the interview.
Interview date: August 2024
Interviewer: Nobutaka Kikuchi
Edited by: Ayaka Usui (SUICOU)
Photography: Sosuke Yokoyama (g)
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