When dining in Hong Kong, we sometimes get lost in the efficiency of cha chaan tengs and fast food joints. It’s a happy problem that we get served our food before being seated and have our trays filled right after we order. But what’s the fun in that?
KFC have decided to take things up a notch. You can now order your favourite chicken meal in futuristic style with the fried chicken expert’s latest addition: Kolonel Fast Connect.
Akan Chan, CEO of KFC Hong Kong, Jardine Restaurant Group, with celebrity Louis Cheung at the launch of Kolonel Fast Connect
After six months of intense research and development and over HK$5 million investment, the first interactive food-ordering machine in the world is now here exclusively at the KFC Admiralty branch (Shop 42–68, G/F, Admiralty Centre, 18 Harcourt Road).
What we love about this machine:
1) It’s bilingual. KFC recognises both the English and Cantonese languages, being equipped with the first Cantonese-recognition system in the world. You can even shout Maidan! to complete your order. Although the machine is supposed to be bilingual, its recognition in Cantonese didn’t seem to fare too well at the launch, when celebrity Louis Cheng tried several times to order KFC’s signature Hot Shots before it he was successful. Yes, you can shout your order without disrupting other patrons too – it’s also equipped with the latest audio spotlight speaker by Holosonics to create sound in a narrow beam, keeping it specifically focused on the user without disturbing other customers in the shop.
2) It’s precise in capturing audio. The microphone is built in a way to cancel background noise and enables users to be heard with clarity amidst a noisy fast food joint.
3) Its physique can be easily mistaken as a Dance Dance Revolution game machine. To a certain extent, it has some features of a DDR machine where you can strike some moves and choose your food items on the screen with just the swipe of your hands. The built-in 3D camera with cutting-edge Intel RealSense Technology detects hand motions at a distance of 0.2–1.2m through motion-tracking technology, depth perception and IR Laser Projection, so customers can place their food orders without even having to touch the screen.
This interactive food-ordering experience ar KFC is also complemented by the same-day launch of KFC’s new food-ordering app, where customers can place orders on their mobile whenever and wherever they want, to ease queuing time during peak periods.
Want to win a 365-day chicken pass? Keep your eyes peeled as KFC will be running a series of promotions to celebrate the launch of Kolonel Fast Connect and their new app. The first game will run from now until 4 May 2017. Details can be found on the KFC Facebook page.
Things are definitely looking juicier at KFC and competitors should feel the crunch.
