Yeosu Restaurant Comprehensive Survey, 1 in 3 Found 'Unsuitable'
Yeosu, which suffered significant damage to its image due to the “rag hotel” controversy, faced shocking results in its comprehensive restaurant survey.
In a comprehensive inspection conducted by Yeosu City in Jeollanam-do, it was revealed that a staggering 1 in 3 restaurants received an "unsuitable" rating, indicating serious hygiene issues in the tourist city of Yeosu.
Recently, as the "rag" incident involving a hotel spread, a task force composed of 84 members, including public health officials and consumer food hygiene inspectors, was deployed.
From November 11 to 14, a total of 3,820 restaurants in the area underwent a comprehensive inspection, resulting in 1,318 establishments, or 34.5% of the total, receiving an "unsuitable" rating. This shows that one-third of the restaurants in Yeosu have failed, raising serious concerns about the hygiene conditions of restaurants in the city.
Of the total, 1,318 establishments received an "unsuitable" rating.
Serious Hygiene Issues with Various Violations
A detailed examination revealed even more alarming hygiene conditions.
784 places failed to properly wear sanitary uniforms, hats, and masks, while 180 establishments were cited for poor cleanliness in their cooking areas, and 127 places for inadequate bathroom sanitation.
Notably, many restaurants were found unsuitable in terms of the storage conditions for leftovers and food waste, which are directly related to customer health. Additionally, significant numbers of restaurants received unsuitable ratings in basic service categories such as price postings, employee health inspections, and friendliness.
Even more concerning is that 248 establishments were cited for violations in two or more categories.
A Yeosu city official stated, "We plan to conduct a second inspection of the 1,318 restaurants that received violations, and if improvements are not made, we will impose administrative penalties," emphasizing, "We will strive to restore the tarnished image in food culture and tourism."
Declining Image Leads to Reduced Tourist Numbers
Recently, Yeosu has suffered severe damage to its tourism image due to unfriendliness controversies and the “rag towel” incident.
In one well-known restaurant, a scene aired where a YouTuber eating alone was pressured to "eat quickly" after ordering two portions. Particularly, a hotel charging 400,000 won per night faced significant backlash for providing towels labeled as “rags.”
On the 7th of last month, restaurant and lodging operators gathered for a resolution meeting to improve service; however, following this, another case of reused leftovers in one restaurant was detected, further spreading negative perceptions of Yeosu.
Image source: Reference photos for understanding the article / pixabay, reference photos for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank
