Star chef Jung Ji-sun faces labor shortage at successful Taipei restaurant

Despite her 140-pyeong Taipei restaurant recording full bookings for two consecutive months, Jung Ji-sun has seen 10 Taiwanese employees resign within just a month and a half.

Despite the successful launch of a large-scale restaurant opened by star Chinese chef Jung Ji-sun in Taiwan, she is facing difficulties due to consecutive resignations of local staff. Although the local response has been intense, with the restaurant recording full bookings every day within two months of opening, it has been revealed that she is experiencing an unexpected labor shortage, with 10 employees leaving in just a month and a half.

During the broadcast of the KBS2 entertainment program 'Boss in the Mirror' on the 8th, the current status of Jung Ji-sun, who is operating her first overseas location in Taipei, was introduced. The restaurant shown is a large-scale establishment occupying an entire two-story building on a main road, boasting a size of 140 pyeong. Although it has only been open for about two months, it has attracted interest from local customers by recording sold-out seating for two consecutive months.

While the business appeared to be successfully established in terms of sales and customer response, Jung Ji-sun faced another concern. Given the large scale of the restaurant, sufficient manpower is required for stable operations, but local employees have been repeatedly resigning without staying long.

While Jun Hyun-moo expressed concerns regarding rent and operating costs, Jung Ji-sun instead revealed her staffing issues. "10 Taiwanese employees resigned in a month and a half," she confessed, adding, "It is very difficult to find people. If they try the work once and it doesn't suit them, they resign immediately." This revealed the unexpected difficulties in securing and managing manpower while successfully operating a large-scale establishment.

Jung Ji-sun, who earned the nickname 'Devil Boss' in Korea due to her strict staff management, had no choice but to change her approach in Taiwan. She must work in harmony with local staff, helping them understand her cooking and waiting for them to adapt to the work. "I don't say anything here," she said, drawing laughter as she explained, "Since they are people trying to understand my cooking, I am teaching them with the mindset of waiting for them. Because they might run away."

In contrast to her image in Korea, where she dominated the kitchen with strict charisma, Jung Ji-sun's move to maintain a much softer attitude to prevent staff resignations drew attention. The reality of having to convey her culinary philosophy to local staff while waiting for them to become accustomed to the work has emerged as another challenge of her overseas business.

In fact, the Taiwanese employees expressed trust and satisfaction with Jung Ji-sun. The employees stated, "Whenever a problem occurred while working, I asked the chef," and "She handles problems passionately. I like the chef so much." Even amidst the difficulties caused by consecutive resignations, she appears to be forming positive relationships with the remaining staff.

However, this is only the reaction of the remaining employees, and it is difficult to assume the thoughts of those who left are the same. Evidence of this can be seen in some online reactions suggesting that if 10 people left in a month and a half, there may not be an issue solely with those individuals, and it is necessary to reflect on whether there are any issues within the company or with the owner, Jung Ji-sun.

Jung Ji-sun is a Chinese chef who gained public recognition through the Netflix entertainment show 'Culinary Class Wars.' Following that, she established herself as a star chef through various entertainment programs and embarked on serious global business by opening her first overseas restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan, this past August. With the potential for success confirmed by the enthusiastic response from customers, attention is focused on how she will solve the new task of the local labor shortage.

Read the original (Korean)