When I started working at a company, which was more than 20 years ago, whenever the guests came, the female employees would serve a drink using a ceramic cup. It was common practice in general. Recently, that isn’t always the case. A friend of mine told me what happens to the company where she works. They buy drinks from the vending machine in the office and serve them. That can be more efficient, but I was not sure if it becomes a common practice.
I found a survey about “hospitality to the guest at the workplace”.
1)Do you serve the guests with a drink at your office?
Yes 86%
2) What kind of cup do you use? (a multiple-response questionnaire)
Pottery/porcelain 76%
Glass 58%
Paper cup 16%
3) What kind of drink do you serve? (a multiple-response questionnaire)
Japanese tea 87%
Coffee 85%
4) Do you feel bad to use a paper cup for the guests?
Yes 53%
No 47%
According this survey, a lot of company still use pottery or porcelain for drink. Regarding 4), 10 years ago, 66% of people felt bad to use a paper cup. Compared with it, the rate is declined, but still more than half of people feel reluctant to use paper cups.
In order to show the feeling of "omotenashi”, which is heartfelt hospitality, “how to serve” seems to be still important in Japanese business field.
