From September 20, 9:00 a.m., to September 25, 23:59 pm, the Cafeteria Monitoring Committee conducted a student vote on the continuation of the regular operation of Lotteria. This vote occurred due to Lotteria’s lackluster results on student satisfaction surveys. They received 2.63, 2.40, and 2.99 out of a maximum of five points on May 30, 2016, November 29, and May 31 respectively. Although Lotteria’s contract is valid until late 2019, the accumulation of these three warnings allowed for the possibility of shortening KAIST Lotteria’s contract to February 2018.

In response, the Cafeteria Monitoring Committee hosted a meeting with representatives from the Lotteria franchise, the school, and the student council. Although Lotteria’s contract could have been revoked immediately, a compromise was reached, allowing for a student vote to determine the period of Lotteria’s contract. Students voted by obtaining a voting code at the entrance of the Lotteria franchise.

For the duration of the voting period, Lotteria highlighted the donations it had made for our student society in the past four years, such as tangerine giveaways and the donation of tables and chairs for public use in the vicinity of the franchise. The most notable contributions have been a collaboration with the Undergraduate Student Council from 2014 to 2017, which distributed free Hot Crispy Burger sets, and a Lotteria Burger Gift Coupon giveaway. The money spent on each event totals 19,790,000 KRW and 34,527,900 KRW respectively.

After the poll closed, the results of the vote were released on September 28, stating that the vote had failed to pass. Lotteria will therefore continue normal operations until the final contract date. With a 967-vote turnout, the poll had 877 valid votes and 90 invalid votes. Amongst the valid votes, 607 votes (69.2%) were against the cancellation of Lotteria’s contract while 270 votes (30.8%) were for the cancellation. Amongst the invalid votes, 48 votes (53.3%) were against the cancellation while 42 votes (46.7%) were for it. From the results of the vote, Lotteria will be staying at KAIST until 2019 and will have all its warnings removed.