Chennai, October 2022: In an effort to extend an enhanced, digital-first customer experience, KFC India recently announced the launch of KFC Smart Restaurants across India. A first for the country, the all-digital restaurants are located in Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Chennai and Bengaluru, and are powered with state-of-the-art self-ordering kiosks. Equipped to facilitate multiple payment options, consumers at these restaurants are encouraged to order themselves & pay digitally; thus, making access to their Bucket of KFC Chicken much easier & faster. With an aim to continue building restaurants of the future, the brand plans to launch 10 more such restaurants by the end of the year.
Telling us more about the brand’s foray into building futuristic restaurants, Moksh Chopra, GM, KFC India, said, “Our consumers are increasingly turning to the digital medium – from food to gaming, from their relationships to their careers, or simply to spend free time. According to reports, digital users in India have more than doubled over the last 5 years and millennials are now spending around eight hours per day online. Strengthening our commitment to being easily accessible to our consumers, we have been on a deliberate journey from CX to DX – enhancing customer experience through digital means. Whether it’s digitally through our improved KFC App, which is faster & more intuitive, or with our newly launched Smart Restaurants. Right from easy-to-use ordering kiosks to tech-savvy interiors, these restaurants are designed to elevate the consumer experience whilst providing extended convenience. So while our products have always been ‘finger lickin‘ good‘, the means to get to them as just as ‘finger clickin‘ good‘!
KFC Smart Restaurants will replace the traditional ordering counter with easy-to-use ordering kiosks with multiple digital payment options, and an accompanying QR code, for quick and easy mobile-based payments. Customers will also be able to order directly from their table, by scanning the QR code, powered by the KFC Smart App, on their phones, and can pick up their order once ready. To make the customer journey even smoother, there will be a host to guide and help customers through the ordering process. These Smart Restaurants also bring in operational efficiency for the restaurant teams with tech-enabled changes at the backend. Kitchen display systems at assembly & packing stations help team members assemble & pack orders more accurately & communicate seamlessly with riders & customers. Customer Display Screens (CDS) assist in tracking order status in the pick-up area. Separate pick-up counters for Dine-In and Takeaway further help in regulating orders. Keeping in mind the comfort of delivery riders, these restaurants have a dedicated waiting area for riders equipped with water coolers, seating and space to place delivery bags, while they wait to pick up orders.
The newly launched Smart Restaurants are located in Vikrampuri& A. S. Rao Nagar in Hyderabad, Perumbadur in Chennai, Ambience Mall in Gurgaon & Brigade Road in Bangalore. In addition to the enhanced digital experience, the Perambur restaurant in Chennai offers unique design elements as sections within this restaurant have been modelled like a railway coach, taking inspiration from the region’s rich heritage of having the country’s oldest railway coach manufacturing facility. The Ambience Mall restaurant in Gurgaon hosts an L-shaped digital wall, giving a modern look & feel to the décor. The Brigade Road restaurant in Bangalore is all the more special, as the first-ever KFC restaurant in India was on Brigade Road over two decades ago. Along the distinctly red, white and black décor, these restaurants pay an ode to the iconic Original Celebrity Chef, Colonel Sanders, with nostalgic black and white pictures earmarking milestones from his journey to making the World’s Tastiest Chicken.
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