CJ, Shinsegae complain over gov't order for store shutdown

CJ Foodville's steakhouse brand VIP in Mapo-gu, Seoul. / Courtesy of CJ Foodville

By Kim Jae-heun

Restaurant chains have expressed dissatisfaction over the government's alleged “discriminatory countermeasures” to fight the resurgence of COVID-19.

After another massive outbreak with 2,629 confirmed cases in the last 10 days, the administration tightened quarantine measures, close buffet and family-style restaurants.

CJ Foodville temporarily shut 29 branches of its steak restaurant chain VIPS, and 12 branches of its Seasons Table Korean restaurants, in the capital and surrounding areas last Wednesday.

Shinsegae Food closed three Bono Bono seafood eateries and two outlets of its Korean-style buffet chain Olbaan in the same area.

Elandeats also stopped operating 109 branches of its buffet restaurants as they were designated as “high-risk facilities” by the government under the readopted stricter social distancing guidelines.

For now, they will reopen on Sept. 1; however, if the situation gets worse, the closure period may be extended indefinitely.

The restaurant chains had no complaint about following safety measures, but they did complain about the decision to allow coffee shops to operate.

“The largest number of coronavirus cases was confirmed at Starbucks coffee shop(s), but I don't understand why restaurant chains are targeted,” a family restaurant worker said on the condition of anonymity. “Starbucks closed its relevant branches for a few days and then they reopened them.”

Fifty-nine patients have been confirmed to have been infected with the virus at a Starbucks coffee shop in Yadang in Paju, Gyeonggi Province as of last Friday.

Buffet-style restaurants have managed to put up a good defense by strictly following the government's guideline to check customers' body temperature and adopting a QR code-based entry log system. Tables were also set far apart to ensure social distancing.

Due to the sudden suspension of business operations, restaurant chains have had to throw away all of their fresh food. It is impossible to keep the food over two weeks unless it is canned, officials said.

Several companies have already sent their buffet restaurant workers to different stores. CJ Foodville relocated its employees from Seasons Table to The Place and Cheiljemyunso, which do not operate buffet style. Shinsegae Food temporarily reassigned its Olbaan and Bono Bono workers to No Brand Burger restaurants.

However, the restaurants are concerned about the bad impression people might get from the government designating them as high-risk facilities.

“It is our obligation to follow the government's regulations, but we hope people don't continue to think that our restaurants are high-risk after things get better,” a CJ Foodville official said.