Two new coffee shops using digital payments and robots launched this weekend

Remote video URL
Remote video URL

SINGAPORE - Patrons to two new coffee shops in Tampines and Choa Chu Kang can look forward to fuss-free dining experiences, with new processes such as digital ordering and cashless payment options.

On Sunday (May 21), the FoodTastic productive coffee shop in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1 was launched by Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Sim Ann.

The coffee shop, operated by Chang Cheng Group, features an array of smart technologies from a food waste composter machine to an automatic floor cleaning robot. It also boasts a ready-to-eat hot food vending machine as well as a tray return automation system and a tray trolley return robot.

Remote video URL

Ms Sim, who went on a tour around the new outlet and tried out the digital ordering and cashless payment system, said productive coffee shops tap on digital solutions to serve customers, and do so with less reliance on manpower.

Mr Ricky Kok, managing director of Chang Cheng Group, said the technologies will bring greater convenience for its customers.

He added that such coffee shops will require less manpower, and his staff can be allocated to other "more value-added job designations".

This was a day after the Happy Hawkers productive coffee shop, run by Koufu, in Tampines was launched by Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli. The coffee shop also features digital ordering and cashless payment options as well as energy-efficient cooking equipment, among other features.

These two coffee shops are the first batch of productive coffee shops introduced under the reviewed tender system for bidders of new coffee shop spaces.

More such coffee shops, adopting digital solutions to improve their productivity, will be rolled out, with the government targeting 100 productive coffee shops by 2020.

These productive coffee shops are one of the innovative business formats identified under the Food Services Industry Transformation Map, which food companies can adopt to better meet consumers' needs in an efficient way.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.