Sushi King workplace outlet opens at Renesas Penang cafeteria

A Sushi King workplace outlet has opened in the Renesas cafeteria in Penang. It sells more than 20 items, each priced at RM5 or less.

It is the chain’s fourth cafeteria outlet in Penang, after Intel, Flex and Dexcom. Texchem Group, which operates Sushi King, is moving beyond regular restaurants.

Here is how the outlet works, how it started and why the chain is going into workplaces.

Sushi King workplace outlet at Renesas: prices and menu

The outlet sits in the Renesas cafeteria and offers more than 20 items. Each costs RM5 or less, theSun reported.

It follows Sushi King outlets in the Intel, Flex and Dexcom cafeterias in Penang. The Renesas outlet is the fourth.

The food comes from Sushi King’s Queensbay Mall branch, executive director Nishan Kumar told theSun. It is then taken to the workplace.

He said toppings are added on site before the food goes on display. Customers pick up what they want and go.

Nishan said the satellite model makes affordable Japanese food available to more people. It also helps the brand, he said.

The outlet is inside the cafeteria, so staff can buy food without leaving the site. In addition, Renesas offers Japanese food without a full-service Sushi King restaurant on site, the report said.

How the Renesas outlet started

Renesas vice-president Ooi Heng Ee said the idea came up about two months ago. He had met the chief operating officer of Texchem’s polymer engineering division.

Their talks first covered technical matters. Then the Sushi King project came up, and Ooi said he agreed at once.

Renesas head of general affairs Junaidi Mohamad said the company gave space in the cafeteria. It also arranged the power supply and layout. The outlet must also meet its safety and hygiene rules.

The approval took about two weeks, he said. The company weighed staff needs, space and whether the outlet could run well. It also looked at the vendor’s skills.

Also, Sushi King operates under Renesas’s standard vendor rules. Junaidi said the tie-up is part of Renesas’s efforts to look after its staff.

However, the outlet’s future depends on staff support, demand and agreement from both sides, Junaidi said. The two parties will review it from time to time.

Ooi said the tie-up may extend to Renesas plants in Kedah and Selangor. He oversees 15 Renesas plants worldwide.

Why Sushi King is moving beyond malls

Sushi King began in Malaysia in 1995 and has 130 outlets, theSun reported. It first focused on shopping malls.

It then moved into shoplots. Next came workplaces and educational institutions. These use small kiosks and satellite outlets for grab-and-go sales.

Texchem president and group chief executive Datuk Dr Yuma Konishi said the outlet brings Japanese food closer to staff. He spoke at the launch. He said Sushi King is refreshing its brand. It is also trying new outlet formats.

Ooi said staff spend much of their day there. He said the workplace is also about “creating an environment where our employees can enjoy a better working experience”.

More food choices and easy access to meals could help their well-being, he added.

Meanwhile, Renesas has operated in Malaysia since 1972, the report said. It is among the firms that helped make Penang a global electronics hub.