FOH Captain Sera Lee

“WeIcoming—this single word contains the essence of hospitality,” says FOH Captain Sera Lee, as she shares her story.

How did you begin this career?

I’ve loved coffee since I was young. That led me to attend a tourism high school where I could study coffee in depth. But the more I learned and experienced, the clearer it became that coffee itself ultimately connects back to hospitality. Of course, roasting and extracting beans with skill is important, but the true completion lies in how that coffee is delivered. I found meaning in serving people, in the act of conveying food and drink, and that made me consider studying abroad.

Wanting to broaden my perspective on hospitality, I decided to study at a hotel school in France. Before leaving, I worked for about six months at an Italian restaurant in Busan. Once I started working, I found even greater joy and quickly fell in love with the work. Facing customers directly, I could see how different service was in practice compared to what I had read in books, and I learned the importance of experience. The kitchen, the front of house, and the guests—all of these interactions stimulated me and convinced me I needed to study even more.

What kind of career have you built so far?

Studying in France really broadened my horizons. I gained experiences I could never have had otherwise. France is a country with a highly developed tourism industry, and naturally, it has a deep history of hospitality services. I had been curious how different it might be from Korea, but once I arrived, I realized that instead of rigid formality and distance between guest and staff, the trend was toward warmer, more personal interaction. In Korea, I often used phrases like “I’m sorry” or “thank you,” but in France, I observed hoteliers engaging in conversations as if they were catching up with family. That warmth was something I really admired.

At the hotel school, the program alternated between one week of classes and one week of direct practice at the school’s hotel property. I also spent six months interning at a hotel in Nice, a resort city in southern France. For academic credit, I was able to apply to Korea’s fine dining restaurant Jungsik, and while I could have chosen another overseas placement, I wanted to experience working in a Korean fine dining restaurant. After all, my long-term career would be in Korea, and I felt experiencing the local industry would make my studies abroad much more meaningful.

I began working at Jungsik, and six months later, when it was time to return to school, there was an administrative mishap with my dormitory placement that delayed my return. While waiting, COVID-19 broke out globally, making international travel impossible. That’s how I ended up staying in Korea. In hindsight, I gained knowledge and experience from working in the field that was just as valuable as my academic studies. That was the real start of my professional path in hospitality.

It’s already your fifth year at Solbam. What changes have you experienced so far?

I joined Solbam in February of the year after its opening. Since then, the team has grown significantly, and the sommelier team expanded with colleagues like Dongyeon Ko and Hyunbin Park. Naturally, I found myself mentoring juniors, and in guiding them, I also grew a lot. At first, I worried—“Am I prepared to teach others with responsibility and accuracy?”—but I overcame that fear by reminding myself, “I just need to do better.” Day by day, I made a promise to be proud of my choices and, above all, not to respond emotionally. Keeping that principle has helped me transform into a wiser, more collaborative leader.

How would you describe Solbam from your perspective?

At my previous workplaces, things were already well-established. Solbam, however, feels like building something new together from the ground up. Everything is layered piece by piece. Chef Eom thoughtfully considers every detail—about the restaurant, the cuisine, the team—and many of those ideas are reflected fluidly in our operations. For example, when the menu changes, the service team looks for new cutlery and plates, discussing how best to elevate the dining experience.

And what is your perspective on teamwork?

I believe a team is like a sport. Everyone has different positions, but we’re all working together to paint one big picture. The kitchen, the front of house, the sommelier team—when each role supports the others, the team is complete. Personally, I want to be the foundation in that picture, someone who is genuinely helpful to my colleagues.

What major projects have you overseen or led so far?

I’ve been responsible for the entire reservation system—arrangements, training new staff, end-of-month reconciliations, vendor management, coordinating private events, and even administrative tasks like reviewing designs and negotiating costs for supplies. At first, all this was unfamiliar and challenging, but by working directly with vendors and leading B2B communications, I honed my practical skills. Now I can confidently manage the entire process independently.

How have you collaborated on tea and tea service projects?

I worked directly with artist Seongil Hong of Nosan Dobang, sharing Solbam’s interior atmosphere and concept to source appropriate tea ware. Together, we discussed and adjusted designs to find the best fit. Initially, managing this collaboration was daunting, but in the end it allowed us to offer guests a richer expression and experience. What started as a plan to purchase seasonal teas expanded into presenting collaborative works like teacups and tea sets. The process deepened Solbam’s unique character. To this day, the artist reaches out first to check in, and I value the strong relationship we’ve built. Working with someone who truly cares about people has also helped me grow.

How would you define the role of the front of house?

It’s hard to reduce it to one word, but service is ultimately the embodiment of hospitality. It’s not only about delivering food carefully prepared in the kitchen, but about how you present it and the intention you convey to the guest. Conversations often reveal why a guest is visiting, and through that, we can create better memories together. In the end, front-of-house work is the art of shaping those moments into lasting memories.

What do you believe is the essence of hospitality?

I still remember something one of my professors once said: “Hospitality is welcoming.” That one word defines everything. From answering a guest’s call, to greeting them, to serving them throughout their time with us—welcoming encapsulates it all.

Delicious food, quality ingredients, and beautiful glassware are all important. But the way these are presented—how we make guests feel more comfortable and at ease—that’s our role. No matter how good the food is, if the dining experience feels unpleasant, guests won’t want to return.

What does your daily management routine look like?

At the end and beginning of each month, I focus on reconciliations. Managers need to be meticulous with numbers. The sommelier team handles wine inventory, purchase histories, expense reports, and verifying invoices. I also double-check kitchen purchases for omissions, review irregular orders like those from Coupang, and compile usage into monthly reports to compare against the previous month. This ensures accuracy and helps us identify points for improvement for the month ahead.

What are you personally most focused on these days?

Michelin is, of course, always a topic, but for me it isn’t the final goal. Rather, it’s a means to amplify our positive influence, to energize the team. Personally, I focus on stress management. Thirty minutes of cardio at the gym is like writing in my daily journal—I use that time to reflect, refine service ideas, and build endurance and mental strength. In the past, I would bury myself in work to escape stress and sometimes even skip meals. Now I’ve learned the simple truth that the foundation is eating well and resting well.

What do you do to foster team culture and communication?

What began as a small hobby turned into a team ritual: posting daily staff meals on Instagram Stories. It became something my team enjoyed, and soon other restaurants started noticing too. It brought fun and a sense of shared story. I also started a weekly early-morning English study session for anyone interested. We focus on practical language—expressions for service and writing emails. Teaching actually helps me learn more, and I see it as a way of building good habits together. To me, creating shared habits is the essence of team building.

What principles guide your leadership and emotional management?

The first principle I set for myself was: don’t react emotionally. Leadership, I believe, stems from consistency and trust. Sometimes firmness is necessary, but ultimately, the direction must return to collaboration and growth. Clear standards are essential, but so is respect for people. Balancing those two is something I check myself on every day.

What are your goals moving forward?

In the short term, I want to refine Solbam’s operations and elevate the consistency of guest experiences. In the longer term, I hope to contribute to a broader cultural shift—helping Korea’s food and hospitality industries provide better welfare and security for their workers. Too often, young people with dreams of working in hospitality give up when faced with harsh realities—not because the work itself is unbearable, but because of factors like poor treatment or being assigned menial tasks unrelated to their aspirations.

For this field to be sustainable, it needs higher awareness, professional standards, and proper welfare. I don’t have all the answers yet, but I believe we can find them by steadily raising our standards and building positive examples in the field.

And someday, I’d like to stand as an educator. My father was a teacher, and that image has always stayed with me.

A dining table reveals much about a person’s character, and table manners are an important reflection of that. I’m not talking about rigid rules like using cutlery from the outside in, as I once learned in school textbooks. Rather, I believe education should also cover how to eat with grace, how behavior and attitude at the table reflect respect. Adolescents forming their identities and preparing to enter society would benefit from learning these values. As someone with firsthand field experience, I’d like to share that knowledge as part of an educational role in the future.