BAYAN LEPAS: Employees at Renesas in Penang can now enjoy affordable Japanese food at work, with Sushi King opening its fourth workplace outlet in the state at the company’s cafeteria, which uses the grab-and-go concept to build brand awareness.
Texchem Group, which operates Sushi King, is expanding the brand beyond conventional restaurants, with president and group CEO Datuk Dr Yuma Konishi saying the initiative will bring Japanese food closer to employees and create a more enjoyable dining experience at the workplace.
“Our purpose in opening a Sushi King outlet at the Renesas cafeteria is to create excitement by rolling in fresh Japanese sushi and other Japanese-style food with fun vibes to fill our Renesas employees’ and customers’ stomachs with happiness,” he said during the launch last week.
He added that Sushi King was refreshing its brand and expanding into different outlet formats to reach customers beyond conventional restaurants.
After focusing mainly on shopping malls, Sushi King moved into shoplots, with its latest moves into workplaces and educational institutions, using smaller formats, including kiosks and satellite outlets designed for grab-and-go purchases.
Renesas vice-president Ooi Heng Ee, who oversees worldwide front-end and back-end manufacturing, said the initiative was part of efforts to improve employees’ workplace experience.
“Our workplace is not only about technology, productivity and business performance. It’s also about creating an environment where our employees can enjoy a better working experience,” he said.
Ooi said employees spend a substantial part of their day at Renesas, and having more food choices and convenient access to meals could contribute to their wellbeing and overall workplace experience.
The collaboration brings a selection of Japanese food into Renesas’s workplace without requiring a full-service Sushi King restaurant on-site.
Ooi said the idea was raised after a meeting with Texchem Group’s polymer engineering division chief operating officer about two months ago. Although their initial discussion focused on technical matters, the Sushi King workplace project came up afterwards, and he immediately agreed to support it.
He added that the collaboration may extend beyond Penang to Kedah and Selangor plants. Ooi oversees 15 Renesas manufacturing plants globally.
The Sushi King at Renesas is its fourth workplace outlet in Penang after those at Intel, Flex and Dexcom. It offers more than 20 food items priced at no more than RM5 each.
Sushi King executive director Nishan Kumar said that, under the satellite model, food is prepared at Sushi King’s Queensbay Mall branch and transported to the workplace.
“The satellite concept allows us to make affordable Japanese food available to more people, expand our presence beyond conventional restaurants and build greater brand awareness,” he told SunBiz.
Renesas head of the general affairs department Junaidi Mohamad said the organisation allocated space in its cafeteria and co-ordinated arrangements for the outlet, including power supply and layout, while ensuring compliance with its safety, hygiene and operational requirements.
He said the company considered employee needs, available space, operational feasibility and the vendor’s capabilities before approving the proposal.
He added that Sushi King operated under Renesas’s standard vendor rules, and that the collaboration was part of Renesas’s employee welfare and engagement efforts.
Sushi King, which has 130 outlets in Malaysia, is the largest halal sushi restaurant chain not only in the country but in the world, with more than 200 items on its menu and sauces such as shoyu and mayonnaise produced in its own halal central kitchen.
Established in Malaysia in 1995, Sushi King is continuing to develop its menu and outlet formats as it seeks to reach customers in different settings.
Renesas has operated in Malaysia since 1972 and is among the multinational companies that helped establish Penang as a global electronics and semiconductor manufacturing hub.