Fast Food

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Are KFC a victim of the Credit Crunch?

Posted at August 6, 2009
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KFC LogoTrue Story: I was walking down Baker Street today towards the tube station, when I passed a KFC restaurant and thought of the delicious, 11 herbs and spices chicken burgers they have on offer. Of course once that thought entered my head there was no walking past. So I walked up to the counter half expecting a queue and a £5.50 per hour person ready to (cock up), I mean take my order and then take 10 minutes to get it right and serve it to me, but it didn’t happen becase….

There were no servers or cashiers. Instead there were four self service touch screens lined up from one side of the counter to the other. Wow!!!! Just like at Tescos, ASDA or Sainsburys. The entire menu was on the screen and all one had to do was press the screen and select the food you wanted. Placing an order took about 15 seconds and they even accepted debit card. Once payment was taken, a slip was issued with a number, and the was a slight wait for the food to arrive.  Of course the whole process relies on the one or two humans who prepare the food behind the counter. I guess give it a few months and they will be replaced by a robot who can server up the burger and fries in under a minute. So overall the whole experience was incredibly efficient and a real pleasure.

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Touch screen self service at Baker Street

You only need to go into the KFC at Piccadilly Circus and see what chaos there is when they employ non english speaking dumb wits. They have about 5 staff members serving the general public. There is no queing system and so people stand around and it’s agonizingly slow and you are guarenteed to have your order cocked up.

Which begs the question, is this form of technology and advancements cheaper to run than a human being? I am guessing the answer is a resounding “YES” at Baker street KFC, but I wonder if it’s come about because of the Credit Crunch and it’s KFC’s way of cutting costs, because in the long run these self service kiosks never stop working, never take breaks, don’t argue, don’t go slow, don’t make money mistakes, don’t need to speak back rudely to the customer, can just work (provided there is electricity) forever. They don’t need training, and can be programmed to change menus quickly and easily. It almost common sense to have them in the restaurants.

For me, getting exactly what I want in a timely fashion under my own instruction is the perfect recipe.

Fast Food, Restaurant