Serving up multiple brands

LOCAL food and beverage firms have been struggling with the twin pressures of manpower shortage and rising rental costs. Japan Foods, the group behind Japan- themed restaurants such as Ajisen Ramen, Menya Musashi and Osaka Ohsho, is however taking these in its strides - having put in the necessary measures in the past years.

Just this year, in view of a staff shortage and the need to raise salaries to keep its existing staff, the group started placing an iPad at every table in its restaurants, enabling patrons to place their orders themselves. This helps the group keep expenses in check. "We will increase salaries, but we're going to reduce the number of staff," says chief executive officer Takahashi Kenichi in an interview with The Business Times.

There will, of course, be some customers who don't know how to use the iPads. When that happens, there are staff on stand-by to help them, he says. "But 90 per cent (of our customers) can do it."