China News Service, Chengdu, February 16th: Visiting the 24-hour "unmanned hot pot restaurant" in Chengdu: favored by young people

　　Author Zhu Huan Yang Yudi

　　As the most down-to-earth catering business, hot pot has become one of the most popular delicacies at home and abroad.

In Chengdu, Sichuan, known as the "world food capital", hot pot restaurants can be seen everywhere, and hot pot has become a gourmet business card in Chengdu.

The 24-hour "unmanned hotpot restaurant" has landed in Chengdu, which has also brought a new consumption pattern to Chengdu people.

　　Self-service seasoning area, tableware storage area, kitchen waste cleaning area... Walking into the "unmanned hotpot restaurant" located in Jinniu District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, there are eye-catching prompts in each different area, and a voice prompt when entering the door is enough to make customers Understand the process of dining in this hot pot restaurant.

This unmanned hot pot restaurant will be open from the end of September 2021. There are tables and chairs, freezers, and QR codes on the freezers.

The "unmanned hot pot restaurant" is full of customers.

Photo courtesy of the interviewee

　　"There are usually no staff in our store, and only one service staff will be there for replenishment and cleaning from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm every day. In addition, our hot pot restaurant has also achieved 24-hour self-service operation, You can come to spend even at two or three in the morning." Yang Liang, the person in charge of the "unmanned hot pot restaurant", introduced that unlike traditional hot pot restaurants, customers of "unmanned hot pot restaurants" need to consume themselves throughout the whole process.

　　Since its opening, the "unmanned hot pot restaurant", like the traditional hot pot restaurant, starts at 5:00 pm every day, and has ushered in a peak passenger flow period.

"Our hot pot restaurant usually has a wave of customers coming to spend at two or three in the morning. Most of them are drivers, online car-hailing drivers and young people who can't find a place to eat." Yang Liang said.

　　"When customers order food, they also scan the code themselves. After scanning the code, the order cabinet can be opened. The ingredients in it can be taken at will. The system can automatically identify the price of the products the customer takes and perform automatic settlement." Yang Liang said, The smart ordering system operated by mobile phones brings convenience to young people and is also favored by young people. Later, the ordering system will be upgraded to make the ordering system simpler and expand the user group.

　　"Today, traditional catering is more and more difficult to do, and labor costs and rent costs are also getting higher and higher. But unmanned catering like 'unmanned hotpot restaurants' can save a lot of labor costs and can also be open 24 hours a day." Tan And the reason for opening the "unmanned hotpot restaurant", Yang Liang, who has been deeply involved in the catering industry for many years, said that the cost savings will benefit consumers, which is also one of the reasons why the consumption level of the "unmanned hotpot restaurant" is lower than that of other hotpot restaurants. .

　　The "unmanned hotpot restaurant" has been in Chengdu for nearly five months, and is favored by young people because of its low price and long business hours.

"My home is nearby, and I was curious about the consumption patterns of this hot pot restaurant when I passed by. Later, I found out that in addition to having to pick up the dishes and adjust the bottom of the pot, it is acceptable as long as you don't need to wash the dishes." Mr. Li, a consuming customer, said that the "unmanned hotpot restaurant" is a great boon for "social fear".

　　"The innovative spirit of unmanned hotpot restaurants is worth encouraging, but the innovative model cannot be a gimmick, and it is necessary to ensure the quality of operation. While independent innovation, we can also seek multi-party cooperation to ensure 'safety'." Yan Long, executive chairman of Sichuan Hotpot Association It is believed that unmanned operation may become the trend of industry development, but attention should be paid to the control of ingredients, hygiene and safety of "unmanned hot pot restaurants".

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