Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan and Royal Holdings to Open "Lounge & Dining" at Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025
Presenting Japanese and International Culinary Cultures and Hospitality to Visitors From All Over the World

Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President & CEO: Calin Dragan; hereinafter “Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan”) and Royal Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Masataka Abe; hereinafter "Royal Holdings") will jointly open "Lounge & Dining" at EXPO 2025 OSAKA, KANSAI, JAPAN (hereinafter "Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025") to offer Japanese and international culinary cultures and hospitality to visitors from all over the world.

*The images are for reference only.

Lounge & Dining will be located on the second floor of the EXPO National Day Hall, “Ray Garden,” a hub for international exchange. Designed with the concept of "dining with a refreshing breeze," the restaurant boasts a 9-meter-high open space with a beautiful view of Osaka Bay, offering a pleasant and comfortable dining area.

The restaurant will cater for a variety of dining occasions. The Dining Area offers a buffet featuring global cuisine prepared with carefully selected local ingredients from the Kansai region. The Counter Area serves Japanese delicacies, including sushi and teppanyaki prepared in front of guests. The Reception Room is available for private use and can be used for entertaining and dining with official guests from overseas.

Lounge & Dining promotes Diversity and Inclusion (D&I). The restaurant also offers menus tailored to halal, vegan, and vegetarian customers. The restaurant will also use OriHime avatar robots for employees to remotely control and serve customers from home, fostering a work environment free from the constraints of distance and disability.

At the 1970 Japan World Exposition (hereinafter ‘Osaka Expo’), Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan sold approximately 33 million bottles of Coca-Cola products, greatly expanding the recognition of the "Coca-Cola" in Japan. At the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025, the first to be held in Osaka for 55 years, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan endorses the importance of irreplaceable water resources and biodiversity conservation, highlighted by the Live Earth Journey pavilion produced by Shoji Kawamori. As its Gold Partner, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan has initiated momentum-building activities. Furthermore, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan will install the world’s first vending machine powered by a hydrogen cartridge (Note 1). Additionally, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan will support the event through operating of vending machines across the premises and at Lounge and Dining. 
Under Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan's corporate message, "We bottle happy moments", the company will help visitors from all over the world feel happy moments at Osaka Kansai Expo 2025, while assisting the event as a celebration of a sustainable future.

The Royal Group will operate the contracted business at Osaka-Kansai Expo, marking its third involvement in a World Expo, following the 1970 Osaka Expo and the 2005 Aichi Expo. In 1970, the company operated four restaurants in the USA zone, including the Royal American Cafeteria and Western Steakhouse Royal. In the year leading up to the Expo, the company introduced Japan’s first central kitchen operating model, enabling efficient service to a large number of customers over the six-month event period. This experience laid the groundwork for Royal Group’s nationwide expansion. In the more than five decades since, the central kitchen model has evolved with the times and continues to enhance Royal Group's food service operations, supporting its pursuit of quality and sustainable business practices. This evolution has facilitated the company’s expansion into overseas markets. At the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025, Royal Group will run Lounge & Dining along with a restaurant-quality employee cafeteria. Under Osaka-Kansai Expo’s theme, "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," the company aims to offer enriching dining experiences to both domestic and international visitors, as well as provide meals and hospitality to event staff.

For both companies, which were founded in the mid-20th century, the World Expo has been a symbolic milestone in their business expansion. At the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025, being held in Osaka for the first time in 55 years, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan’s will leverage its experience in beverage service, while Royal Holdings’ will draw on its expertise in operating over 600 domestic restaurants and managing dining establishments at past Expo venues, thereby creating a synergy to serve visitors with a unique dining experience at the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025.

■ Restaurant overview
Name: Lounge & Dining
Location: EXPO National Day Hall "Ray Garden"
Number of seats: 260
Area: 984.9㎡
Opening hours: 10:00-21:00

■    Introduction of each area
 [Dining Area]  

The Dining Area offers buffet-style cuisine from around the world using carefully selected local ingredients from the Kansai region. It will satisfy diverse tastes with a range of dishes for halal, vegan, and vegetarian customers.

 [Counter Area]

The Counter Area offers a course meal of sushi and teppanyaki, two of Japan's most popular specialties.
Chefs prepare each dish in front of customers, using carefully selected seasonal ingredients grown in the rich climates of various parts of Japan. Guests will enjoy quality hospitality and witness the refined cooking techniques of the masters that represent a culinary tradition to be preserved for future generations.
* Advance reservations are required for the Counter Area.  The reservation page is expected to go live in January 2025.

 [Reception Room ]

This space is available for private use, ideal for entertaining and dining with official guests from overseas. It has seven private rooms adorned with plants traditionally appreciated in the Kansai region.
In these private spaces, guests can enjoy a luxurious course meal and alcoholic beverages prepared with carefully selected high-quality ingredients and enjoy attentive service.

(Note 1) Research by Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.

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