Entrepreneur cultivates underprivileged in dining biz
In Seoul’s quaint neighborhood of Bukchon is a Spanish fine dining restaurant frequented by business tycoons and politicians.
The restaurant Terreno is among Oyori Asia CEO Lee Ji-hye’s businesses to help disadvantaged women out of poverty.
“Our mission is to help underprivileged women in Asia become financially independent by learning to work in the dining business,” Lee, 43, said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.
“The dining business has relatively low entry barriers as it does not require advanced skills and can provide job stability for the underprivileged.”
Oyori Asia also runs Seoul Women’s Plaza, a facility for events under a consignment operation.
It offers training opportunities for migrant women, teenagers in orphanages and youth who have dropped out of school. Oyori Asia hires those who have completed long-term training programs. All 43 of its employees are regular workers.
Among those who worked and learned at Oyori Asia is a Vietnamese immigrant in her 30s who became a co-founder of Asian Bowl, a restaurant in Jangseungbaegi, southwestern Seoul.
With the help of a community for migrant single moms, the restaurant opened last November. Other migrant women also work there.
“The restaurant makes good pho and business is doing well,” Lee said.
Oyori Asia also runs two franchises overseas — Cafe Mitini in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Oyori the Grill, a restaurant in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
A second Cafe Mitini will open in Kathmandu soon, run by a young Nepalese woman who received training as a barista for four years.
Terreno is funding the opening, and the coffee shop will pay the restaurant back the funds, which will then be invested in opening a third shop.
Oyori Asia trains and hires young women in impoverished conditions who would otherwise end up in human trafficking.
Lee does not have much faith in the system of sending young women in Southeast Asia to Korea as brides to escape poverty.
Many of them have trouble adjusting to life here due to the language barrier and cultural differences. Also, a large number of marriages these women have with Korean men end up in divorce.
“If they become financially independent in their home countries, they won’t have to come here,” Lee said.
Lee initially worked in IT implementing a system of paid online content. She recalls “95 percent of the company’s sales came from adult content,” and this bothered her.
Even though the job paid her well, she realized it wasn’t what she wanted to do.
She wanted to do social work. As a woman and working mom, she was able to relate to people like herself and a restaurant is a business relatively easy to start.
Oyori began in 2008 as a small restaurant selling Asian dishes in the Hongdae area. The idea to open a fine dining restaurant came from Terreno’s chef, who has worked with Lee for 10 years.
“I wondered if it would be okay to put myself in a high-end business when I am doing social work,” Lee said.
“But the chef said this is what we needed to do if we wanted to raise the workers’ wages.”
In addition, having work experience at a credited fine dining restaurant benefits the women in terms of credentials.
Terreno made it to one of the top 10 restaurants in Korea in 2016.
Lee is preparing to establish a business in Thailand which enables local entities to learn about Oyori’s model of training disadvantaged women to become financially independent in the dining business.