Part of the Hanwha Group conglomerate, Hanwha Galleria operates premier F&B venues, while Hanwha Hotels & Resorts leads Korea’s hospitality sector. Its subsidiary, Hanwha Foodtech Global Inc., pioneers robotics and AI applications in foodservice. In collaboration with executive leadership from these companies, my project, “Food Without Feelings? Unpacking Consumer Bias Against Robotic Kitchens,” examines consumer perceptions of robot-powered kitchens, an initiative born from Hanwha’s strategic acquisition of an automated food-service provider. This research will uncover consumer biases toward robotic kitchens, and findings and tailored managerial recommendations will be presented directly to the Hanwha executives to guide strategic decisions on integrating robotics into their F&B operations.

OURHOME is Korea’s second‑largest food catering service (2.244 trillion KRW in sales and 88.7 billion KRW in operating profit in 2024), delivering meals to schools, offices, and events nationwide. In partnership with OURHOME’s leadership team, I plan to implement field experiments and identify operational bottlenecks and customer satisfaction drivers (NDA in progress). This planned study aims to uncover operational bottlenecks and customer satisfaction drivers, with a final report offering actionable recommendations to enhance workflow efficiency, reduce waste, and maintain high food‑quality standards across their large‑scale catering operations.