[I passed the Specified Skilled Worker No. 2 qualification on the first try!] My job is to make people smile. (Phan from Vietnam / YSK Co., Ltd.)

[Staff Profile]

Phan Huy Hung (from Vietnam)

As assistant manager of Guangzhou Market Musubu Tamachi store, which is famous for its wonton noodles, he is entrusted with a wide range of duties, from cooking to customer service, training, and managing store operations.

＜ Company ＞

YSK Co., Ltd.

The company operates popular restaurants in the Yamanote Line area of Tokyo, including the wonton noodle specialty restaurant "Guangzhou Market" and the beef tendon curry specialty restaurant "Hot Spoon."

This time, we visited YSK Co., Ltd.'s Guangzhou Market Musubu Tamachi Store and spoke with Fan, who works as the assistant manager!

──Why did you want to work for a Japanese company?

One of my university professors in Vietnam had studied abroad at Yamaguchi University, and hearing about his experience made me want to study abroad in Japan too. In fact, my cousin's older sister was a Japanese language teacher in Vietnam, so I asked her to teach me Japanese for six months, and then I came to Japan to study abroad. Originally, I had planned to return to Vietnam and find work after my studies abroad, but my parents told me, "You've come to Japan to study, so wouldn't it be a waste if you didn't also get some work experience?" This prompted me to decide to find work in Japan.

Why did you decide to work in the food and beverage industry?

I started working at YSK Corporation straight after graduating from school in Japan, but I wasn't originally thinking about working in the food service industry. When I looked into jobs in a variety of industries during my job search and thought again about what kind of job I wanted, I realized that I love people and want to make lots of people smile . When I thought about a job where I could meet lots of people, see their smiles, and also have connections with Vietnamese people, I decided that the food service industry was perfect for me.

During my job search, I received job offers from four companies, but then I came across YSK. I was impressed by YSK's corporate culture, systems, and attitude towards employees, and I decided that I wanted to work for this company!

──Did you get a job under the Specified Skilled Worker System from the beginning?

When I first started working, I wasn't working in a store, but rather in an office-related job where I was in charge of intermediary between the company and its employees, so I worked on a Skilled Worker Visa (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services). At the time, there was no visa that allowed foreign employees to work on-site, such as in cooking. However, in 2019, the Specified Skilled Worker Visa was introduced, and at the company's suggestion, I switched to a Specified Skilled Worker Visa.

I am currently working at Guangzhou Market, a hand-wrapped wonton noodle shop run by YSK. I am very happy that the Specified Skilled Worker System has been established, allowing me to work on-site, and I am now able to work in the kind of restaurant I had imagined.

──Please tell us about your job!

When asked, "What is my job?", I think it's "to make customers happy" and "to make people smile ." Therefore, it's difficult to describe my job in one word, but I'm in charge of a variety of tasks, including cooking and serving customers, as well as staff training, sales management, and document preparation.

In addition, we manage sales, customer numbers, and average customer spending every week, and when we find any issues, we immediately investigate the causes and solutions. We are constantly thinking about issues and coming up with solutions to make improvements, so that we can meet customer expectations.

──Please tell us what you pay attention to when educating your foreign staff.

At Guangzhou Market Musubu Tamachi branch where I work, 90% of the staff are foreigners. Some staff still lack a thorough understanding of Japanese culture and sensibilities, so I also focus on providing them with instruction on this aspect. I think it's important for customers to recognize that even foreigners can provide high-quality service, and I believe that it's only because I'm a foreigner that I'm able to provide that instruction .

The first thing we tell our foreign staff when they join the company is to "greet." This applies whether they are in the kitchen or the dining area, and the most important thing is to greet and respond in a loud and cheerful voice. If you can't do this, you won't be able to work here. Conversely, you don't need any special skills or experience. We believe that anyone who is energetic, positive, and has the desire to "make our customers happy" will thrive here .

──Please tell us about your goals and dreams for the future.

I would like to study the best cooking methods to suit the characteristics of ingredients and become a chef who can be called a master chef. I would also like to try developing menus in the future. I want to make customers happy with the recipes I create. I would like to do my best to contribute to the service so that, especially for customers visiting from overseas, the meal at Hoshinoya Kyoto will become a fond memory of Japan, and they will want to come back to Japan and stay at Hoshinoya again .

We also place importance on creating an environment where foreign staff can work comfortably, including in terms of systems. We have a work system where you get two days off per week, allowing you to have a fulfilling private life. Also, depending on the business situation of the store you belong to, you can take about two weeks off each year to return to your home country. As we have a large number of foreign staff, we all cooperate with each other to run the business.

──What is the most rewarding part of your job?

Being able to smile every day and receiving smiles from others . People generally think of working in a restaurant as being busy and difficult. Of course, there are times like that, but for me, the fun outweighs that.

We have a wide variety of customers who come to our restaurant, and we see lots of smiles from them. For example, when a family with a small child comes in and the child beams and says, "The ramen is delicious!", it makes me very happy. Another time, an elderly couple came in and said, "We've come to this restaurant many times! It's delicious!" This comment naturally brings a smile to my face, too. Seeing our customers' smiles and happiness is the most rewarding thing about my job!

──How do you keep your fans motivated?

Well, I think that the way to stay motivated is different for each person, but I think it's important to be aware of "why you are working." As I said earlier, what makes me happiest is seeing my customers' smiles, and making my customers smile ultimately makes me smile myself. It's important to always remember what you think is most important to you and to be proud of it.

The working hours are long, so there's no point in working if you're thinking, "It's hard" or "It's tough..." I believe that work should be fun, so when I wake up every morning, I feel happy, thinking, "I'll be able to meet all the staff again today!" and "I'll be able to see the smiles of our customers!" And that naturally increases my motivation.

──Last year, the restaurant industry was added to the list of Specified Skilled Worker No. 2. What did you think about this announcement?

This was very good news for me, and I really wanted to get it! The company immediately spoke to me about it and encouraged me, saying, "Good luck!" There are many benefits to obtaining Specified Skilled Worker Status No. 2, but the biggest advantage for me was that it would enable me to work long-term. My original Status No. 1 status limited my period of stay to five years, so I was happy that obtaining Status No. 2 would allow me to aim for long-term career advancement .

--And congratulations on passing the No. 2 exam on your first try! What kind of exam preparation did you do?

Thank you! My company was very supportive, so I'm very happy that I was able to pass the exam on the first try.

To prepare for the exam, I downloaded the official textbook and studied. I studied for about three weeks, during which time I set aside about 30 minutes every weekday before going to bed, and on weekends I studied intensively for about five to six hours a day. This was the first time the Specified Skills No. 2 exam for the food service industry was being held, and there were no past exam questions, so I worked really hard. In the end, I passed, so I'm glad I studied hard and took the exam. However, I didn't find the exam itself to be too difficult.

To begin with, in order to take the No. 2 exam, you need at least two years of experience in store management. The actual questions also included managing the number of customers and average customer spending, so I think it was possible to pass if you studied the textbook thoroughly and deepened your understanding of everyday management work.

──Finally, please tell us what your future goals are!

My goal is to make the company even bigger! I really like YSK and think it's a great company. I'm currently in charge of global meetings to train about 40 foreign staff members, and I want to continue to increase the number of foreign staff members who enjoy working at our company, and if we can expand the number of stores, I think we can make even more customers happy . To achieve this, I want to improve my own skills.

I believe that the greatest attraction of Japanese restaurants is not only the deliciousness of the food, but also the service. I would like to continue to cherish the Japanese spirit of hospitality and gratitude and do my best to contribute to the company.

A specialty of Guangzhou Market! Soft and delicious wonton noodles!

Thank you, Fan, for sharing your wonderful story! We at the Food and Beverage Association will continue to support you so that you can continue to be successful and smile!

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The Japan Food and Beverage Association for Foreign Employment

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