Enthusiastic PTT discussion of Hermes-Epitek
The most widespread story is a bowl of meatball soup
One of the most resounding legends on the PTT online community chat room is the one about the “meatball soup” that’s actually more like “meatballs with some soup”.
A whole pot filled with meatballs and hardly any soup from which you can take as many as you like, because no matter how many you do take, there are always more meatballs emerged. The most famous story circulated about our company is the meatball soup in our cafeteria, which has evolved into a story that has become a legend.
Due to safety concerns regarding processed foods, the meatball soup has become a tale of the past. Colleagues who have only joined Hermes-Epitek in recent years are no longer able to witness the grand sight of the meatball army. Our chefs, however, came up with a solution: making our own meatballs.
But it’s not just meatballs that have been removed from our menu. With the philosophy of “employees are family” in mind, we also removed popular drinks like Coca Cola, Calpis, and other sugary beverages in 2017 in order to promote healthier food choices for our colleagues.
Once meatball soup and sugary drinks were no longer offered, we turned our attention to other products. We require food ingredients to be natural, unprocessed, organic, and cultivated through environmentally-friendly farming methods. Thanks to these practices, we offer nutritious, balanced and colorful dishes that are color-coordinated and expertly plated for better appeal. The buffet line has also been deliberately designed to serve vegetarian dishes in front and then meat dishes behind.
Not only is lunch completely free, but employees can also return for more food as many times as they want. Since our colleagues are used to only taking as much as they can eat and going back for more if there’s something they particularly like, food is cherished and there is hardly any kitchen waste.
As the dishes are of excellent quality, our colleagues enjoy having lunch at Hermes-Epitek’s cafeteria. Lunch time is the happiest hour of a day. We also can see the weekly menu for various offices in Hsinchu, Taichung and Tainan, through the intranet and mobile pages. The IT department has also developed an after-meal questionnaire, so employees can comment on their dish preferences through their phones or computers.
At every meal, administrative personnel is present at the dining area in order to observe employees’ reactions and feedback, and check which dishes are left untouched.
Just by looking at their figures, you can tell which colleagues have recently joined the company. After joining the “Little Iron Men” activities, the more senior employees have improved metabolism and can eat as much as they want without worrying about their figure. Since our dishes are so good, new employees initially gain a few kilograms. If you see a plate piled high, it’s usually a good indicator that the employee is a fresh man.
It’s said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. At Hermes-Epitek, what we see at during lunch everyday are happy smiles all around.
