NAVER Vietnam's Journey of "Every Party is a Cultural Story" that Connects Colleagues

As a leading South Korean technology group, NAVER has built a corporate culture founded on caring for employee wellbeing, with parties playing an essential role in internal bonding and delivering unique culinary experiences.

Over the years, PITO has accompanied NAVER in organizing a wide range of culinary events, from parties with strong East Asian cultural elements to those with Western influences.

Each party is not just an opportunity to enjoy good food but also a journey to explore cultures, creating special highlights in the spiritual life of NAVER employees.

A "Journey" Through Multinational Cuisines

From traditional Korean flavors to vibrant Mexico, from sophisticated Thai cuisine to creative Italian style - NAVER has created a "culinary passport" taking its colleagues... around the world without leaving the office.

The party space was elegantly decorated with traditional Mid-Autumn symbols, including foodflags and a photo hashtag set with Mid-Autumn themes printed with the company logo, creating a cozy atmosphere and spreading the brand image.

The highlight of the party was a Gimbap (also called Kimbap) rolling workshop for 8 participating teams.

This activity not only brought laughter but also eliminated the distance between management and staff, creating a friendly, bonding atmosphere.

PITO brought a distinctive menu with Spicy Rice Cakes (Tteokbokki), Honey Fried Chicken, Crispy Fried Chicken, Fish Cakes, Glass Noodles, Dumplings, Black Bean Noodles (Jajangmyeon), and Peach Tea.

Each dish was prepared according to traditional recipes, bringing the most authentic flavors of Korean cuisine.

In particular, PITO arranged 20 workshop and buffet tables to serve 80 participating employees, creating a comfortable space for everyone to enjoy and socialize.

Explosion of Mexican Fiesta Flavors and Colors

Faced with the "challenge" of a Mexican-style party, PITO decorated the space with colorful tablecloths and vibrant patterns on 4 party setup tables, transforming NAVER's office into a lively corner of Mexico.

The menu featured distinctive dishes such as Tortillas with beef and cheese - an iconic Mexican cuisine, combining the creamy taste of cheese and rich beef.

Additionally, the menu was enriched with kale salad with cheese and dried fruits, french fries, tuna rolls with mustard sauce, shrimp wontons with spicy sauce, fried chicken wings with HK sauce, cold cuts canapes, passion fruit cheesecake, mixed fruits and watermelon juice.

Especially, the party also served Pale Ale beer (ABV 4.5 IBUs 22) for employees to enjoy, enhancing the festive atmosphere.

A NAVER colleague shared: "I've never been to Mexico, but through this party, I could feel something of the food culture. I was impressed by the spicy flavors, vibrant colors, and the overall party created a positive energy atmosphere for the whole team."

Thai Flavors, a Perfect Combination of Sour - Spicy - Sweet

Organized right after an important Town Hall event, Team NAVER's Thai buffet was like a reward for employees after their non-stop work efforts.

The party tables were elegantly arranged by PITO with a green color scheme, harmonizing with NAVER's logo, creating consistency and elegance for 150 guests

The outstanding menu included Thai Papaya Salad, Thai-style Coconut Chicken Soup, Thai-style Grilled Pork Skewers, Pad Thai, Thai-style Green Curry Chicken, Mango Sticky Rice for dessert, and Thai Milk Tea.

These taste-stimulating dishes delivered a balanced culinary experience with the characteristic sour, spicy, and sweet flavors of Thai cuisine.

Each dish was not only focused on flavor but also beautifully presented, creating a strong impression on all employees.

PITO invested in special setup tools and equipment to ensure the party space carried the right Thai cultural spirit, not just bringing good food but creating a complete culinary experience from visual to taste.

Italian Pizza at NAVER "Miniaturizes" European Flavors at the Office

The Pizza Grand Party is one of the most popular events at NAVER with three diverse menu sets, serving 120 employees:

PITO skillfully combined Italian style with some adaptations suitable for Asian tastes, creating dishes that were both familiar and novel, attracting all NAVER members.

Particularly, Pizza Grilled Pork Char Siu - a combination of Italian Pizza and Asian char siu - became the most "hunted" dish.

To ensure service quality, PITO arranged 3 professional service staff throughout the 2-hour event.

Year-End Party with the Essence of Vietnamese Cuisine

The Year-End party concluding an effective work year at NAVER was organized with a space rich in Vietnamese identity.

The party tables were meticulously decorated by PITO with plum blossoms, peach blossoms, pomegranate branches, dragon and phoenix tablecloths - symbols of luck and prosperity in Vietnamese culture.

The rich menu included 12 characteristic Vietnamese dishes: Vietnamese Spring Roll "Bánh tráng lụi", Southern-style Beef Noodle Salad, Cheese Seafood Skewers, Crispy Popcorn Chicken, Phở Rolls, Shrimp Dumplings, Grilled Pork Skewers, Fresh Spring Rolls, "Bò bía" Rolls, Grilled Pork with Rice Vermicelli Sheets, Tapioca Dumplings along with Tropical Fruit Tea and Pink Guava Tea.

The diverse Year-End menu not only helped employees (including Vietnamese and foreigners) easily enjoy but also created a unique highlight for the party. 

All dishes were presented in finger food style, easy to enjoy in a standing party space.

The party bringing traditional Vietnamese flavors in NAVER's modern office environment was like an accurate expression of the company's spirit - respecting tradition but always looking to the future.

More Than a Party, It's Culture and Connection

At NAVER, each party is not just about food but also a journey to explore culture and connection.

Through diverse culinary events, NAVER creates a work environment where every employee feels respected regardless of their country of origin.

With a deep understanding of multinational cuisine and the ability to flexibly adapt to all requirements, PITO is not just a platform providing catering services but also a trusted partner in building a positive corporate culture.

Faced with the requirement to create diverse cultural parties meeting NAVER's demanding requirements, PITO has built a professional and creative work process.

First, PITO's Catering Consulting team conducts a detailed survey about the employee composition at NAVER, with basic parameters such as estimating the ratio of Vietnamese, Korean, and other nationalities (if any) along with eating habits and personal preferences.

This information becomes the foundation to develop menus balancing culinary needs of each country according to the desired concept and diverse tastes of the collective.

For each party, PITO and Partners not only research dish recipes but also deeply explore cultural context, meanings, and traditional ways of enjoying.

For example, when preparing for a Korean-style Mid-Autumn party, PITO consulted with top chefs on Korean cuisine to propose a menu with distinctive Tteokbokki flavors, even adjusting the spiciness to suit both Korean and Vietnamese tastes.

Similarly, when designing a Mexican-style party, PITO and Partners meticulously calculated the level of spiciness in salsa (a sauce in Mexican cuisine) to maintain Mexican characteristics while not making it difficult to eat for those who are not accustomed.

One of the highlights at each event is PITO and Partners' ability to create cultural spaces through decorative elements and food presentation.

Every detail from tablecloth colors, dish arrangement to background music (from mini speakers if the event allows music) is considered to create a complete experience.

In menu matters, the unique "Cultural Food Mapping" method helps PITO's Catering Consultants quickly propose dishes with similarities between cultures to create intersection points in the menu.

For example, in the Italian Pizza party, simply cleverly combining Pizza Grilled Pork Char Siu - Italian base and Asian char siu - created a "fusion" dish loved by all employees.

Similarly, in the Vietnamese party, traditional dishes like tapioca dumplings and spring rolls were presented in modern finger food style, helping foreigners easily enjoy while preserving the characteristic flavors.

Building Unique Menus Suitable for Each Party Concept

Below is a compilation of representative menus from NAVER's experience, refined by PITO to suit diverse cultures and tastes.

These menu packages can be flexibly designed and adjusted according to each business's guest count, budget, and event purpose.

Continuously Measuring Satisfaction and Capturing Company Employee Expectations

For large-scale company events like NAVER's, evaluating success after each party and capturing employee expectations for the next event is a process that needs to be systematically implemented.

Thanks to these approaches, with company party orders implemented throughout the year, with many themes like NAVER's "international culinary journey" series, PITO has achieved:

• Higher overall party satisfaction rate
• Increased attendance rate
• Cost optimization for customers
• Reduced food waste through better understanding of employee preferences
• Cultural diversity and meeting the needs of the vast majority of colleagues
• Enhanced bonding, employees feel cared for and the work environment becomes closer and friendlier.

Why Companies Should Choose Professional Catering Units Instead of Traditional Kitchens?

In a context where many companies need to organize corporate events with large scale and diverse requirements, choosing a professional catering unit like PITO instead of regular kitchens brings many advantages:

Regular kitchens usually specialize deeply in one specific type or style of cuisine, while multinational companies need diverse culinary styles.

PITO owns a diverse partner network with leading renowned top chefs who are well-trained in various cuisines, capable of accurately recreating dish flavors from many different countries.

This is an important factor in creating multicultural culinary parties.

Serving 70-150 people simultaneously as at NAVER or events up to thousands of people at multiple offices, branches, in multiple cities with consistent quality is a big challenge for regular kitchen units.

PITO with a standardized process system, a diverse "ecosystem" of Partners with professionally trained personnel, large-scale facilities ensures all attending diners receive a consistent experience, good food, beautiful presentation - something traditional kitchens struggle to provide when numbers increase or exceed their service scope.

In food services in general, food safety is non-negotiable. For international businesses like NAVER, hygiene standards need to be strictly ensured.

PITO has a quality control process from ingredient sources to processing and transportation.

Besides basic food hygiene criteria, each Partner cooperating with PITO must go through PITO's own standard verification process to absolutely prevent food poisoning risks - issues that can seriously damage business operations and corporate reputation.

Not just providing food, PITO delivers comprehensive solutions including consultation on culturally appropriate menus, themed space setup, professional service personnel, and even interactive activities during the party like Gimbap workshops.

This "liberates" the HR-Admin team from logistics burdens, allowing them to focus on experience and interaction with employees.

Organizing parties at offices poses many challenges regarding space, equipment, and cooking limitations.

PITO, with in-depth experience in on-site catering for companies, has the ability to adapt to different conditions, from preparing food optimized for transportation to quick and efficient setup in limited spaces.

They have design solutions specifically for office environments without affecting facilities, fire safety, and the daily activities of businesses and buildings.

For traditional kitchens, providing diverse dishes for a large event means buying large quantities of diverse ingredients - many of which may be wasted after the event.

PITO, with experience serving more than 4,000 companies and 7,800 on-site party events, will easily calculate and coordinate with Partners in managing ingredients more efficiently, optimizing costs while ensuring menu diversity.

From reports and survey results, the PITO Platform can accurately predict the amount of food needed based on data collected from similar events.

In multicultural environments like NAVER, meeting special dietary requirements (vegetarian, vegan, halal, kosher, allergies...) is necessary.

PITO, with system strength, has the ability to provide quality alternatives for each specific customer group, with separate preparation processes - something that regular kitchens may not be equipped to provide.

For multinational enterprises, choosing a professional catering partner is not just a matter of pure cuisine but a strategic decision in trusted cooperation aimed at building corporate culture and creating a harmonious work environment.

IMPLEMENTATION TEAM

• Concept: MANH KHANG
• Content: TUAN HUY - THIEN PHONG