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Philosophy

Our Founding Philosophy

The True Meaning of “Customers First” Never Changes

The Desire to Never Let Customers Down That Drove the Company’s Foundation

The student dormitory business, with signs reading “(School Name) Dormitory,” was something I created over 50 years ago at the company where I worked. The business was growing steadily, but the company decided to switch from the designated school dormitories I had developed to student halls bearing the company name. I naturally opposed this, but the company policy remained unchanged.
What I refused to compromise on was the stance of being in charge of room and board for the schools we served.
The schools entrusted their dormitories to us because they were designated school dormitories. The dormitory residents trusted the dormitory because it belonged to the school they attended. So did their parents. Even if we did not change any of the services we provided, switching so that the student halls bore the company name felt as though we were ending the designated school dormitory program and letting down our customers who had chosen our dormitories.
With this in mind, I decided that, to provide services that would delight customers, I had to do things myself, and so in 1979, I established Kyoritsu Maintenance Co., Ltd.

Chairman Haruhisa Ishizuka

The Spirit of Room-and-Board

The Will to Take Proper Care of Customers

For many of the students who moved in, this was their first time living in Tokyo, and having the will to take proper care of these students was of the utmost importance. The resident dormitory matrons and managers who interact with residents do so with this spirit of room-and-board. Taking meals as an example, workers look residents in the eye and say, “Good morning” when serving breakfast and “Welcome home” when serving dinner, never letting their attention slip until the last dish is served. This spirit of the dormitory matrons and managers has spread to form the culture of Kyoritsu Maintenance.

“Aji Kubari”-Right food at the right temperature “Kokoro Kubari” -
Sincerity in every encounter “Me Kubari”-Create beautiful spaces

Through the phrase “devotion to each meal,” a spirit of cherishing each encounter has been passed down at Kyoritsu Maintenance, where our menu developers and cooks think “this might be the first and last time I am able to serve this customer” even though it may be one of thousands of meals. The stance of “never letting one’s attention slip” is instilled throughout the company in our daily menu planning and cooking.

Our Founding Spirit

Culture of Hospitality

The culture of hospitality rooted in Kyoritsu Maintenance is something our dormitory matrons have taught us since our foundation. A culture of hospitality cannot be created through commands. Junior employees absorb the atmosphere created by dormitory matrons and managers working on site and master language, attitudes, and ways of thinking through working with them. That is why working with customers on the front lines is so important. I believe that cherishing and staying true to this spirit has increased the number of employees who believe they should strive harder as well.

Standing on Our Customers’ Side

Even if we try our best, one wrong step can take all of our hard work in the wrong direction. Take, for example, our Yonaki Soba (late-night ramen), which has become a specialty at our hotels. When I asked how it was served at the hotels at that time, I was told it was limited to one bowl per customer. Were I a customer, I would have wanted unlimited refills, but that was not what was happening.
In other words, business growth should not be prioritized over the phrase “customers first.” We must think and act in a way that is purely “customers first,” not for the sake of ourselves or the company. While we are steadily establishing the practice of thinking from the customer’s perspective, we must constantly battle worldly desires that lead us to act in our own interest.

Into the Next Era

The Most Important Thing

I myself escaped from worldly desires when I stepped down as president and became chairman at age 60. At that time, I had a clear realization.
Simply put, it was that all we need to do is to make customers happy.
The most important thing for Kyoritsu Maintenance as it continues to grow is to value customers. I want the company to focus solely on making customers happy, and concentrate all our thoughts and actions toward that goal.

Looking to the Future

When we are lost, the times and the customers will always show us the answer and the path forward. If there is a business where we are unable to find a way forward despite this, we should withdraw from it.
By having the company and all of its employees properly address what each era wants us to be and what each customer wants us to do, we will remain trusted by the people while contributing to society, something that never changes, whether it be the past or future.