Technology is at the heart of Happy Hawkers cafe, run by Koufu and the first of the Singapore government’s “productive coffee shops” initiative.

In Tampines Street, it was officially launched by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.

Features of the outlet include a self-ordering kiosk, a tray-return robot and the Koufu – Beat the Q app. As well as boosting productivity, these features offer customers an easy, seamless ordering experience, short waiting times for tables and the end of standing in queues.

Three counters are available: halal, non-halal, and beverages and dimsum.

Automated technologies also feature behind the scenes, with a food-waste digester, combi oven (halal kitchen), noodle boiler and hotplate griddle.

Koufu, which was supported by Spring Singapore in converting to a productive coffee shop, has been embracing automation and technology for seven years, winning an award of excellence in the F&B sector at the Singapore Productivity Awards last year.

Here is a closer look at the new automated technologies at Happy Hawkers…

1. Self-ordering kiosks: These are designed for convenient ordering, with instructions in both English and Mandarin. There is a common kiosk, or customers can use an individual ordering station at each stall. The kiosk offers a variety of payment options – coins, dollar notes, and credit or debit cards. Customers receive a queue number slip for their order, and will be prompted by the queue-number screen to collect their food when it is ready.
2. Tray-return robot: The robot encourages patrons to return their used trays after eating, improving efficiencies for the cleaning staff and also shortens waiting times for customers wanting a table. With 20 sensors, the robot can manoeuvre around the cafe. It stops for patrons to return their used trays, and if someone is standing in its way will even say, “Excuse me, thank you”. When its rack is full, the robot automatically moves to the washing area. Koufu says the robot has halved man-hours, and it plans to use the robots in more coffee shops (the company also runs restaurants and more than 80 food courts).
   3. Food-waste digester: Happy Hawkers is the first outlet to place the compact food-waste digester at individual stalls. It can compress 10kg of waste to 2kg at the rate of 150kg an hour. It is infused with “ozone water” to kill bacteria and is odourless. Koufu plans to roll out the technology across its future outlets and those now being renovated.
   4. Koufu – Beat the Q app: Customers can download the app not only to beat the queue, but also to receive a 10 per cent discount. Food and drinks can be ordered and paid for via the app, which is available on Android and iOS. When the order is ready, there is a push notification to collect it. The app accepts payment by POSB/DBS credit or debit card as well as Paylah. A few other Koufu outlets also use the app.
3. Combi oven, hotplate griddle and noodle boiler: These automated technologies streamline and shorten cooking. The combi oven can grill, steam and roast, shortening cooking times by 40 per cent. Preset timing ensures quality and consistency. The griddle (mainly for Japanese and Korean cuisine) and noodle boiler shorten cooking times by 30 and 70 per cent respectively. The boiler has a preset timer, and when the time is up the noodle ladle automatically raises out of the boiling water. The used water is released and clean water is added again.

The government is targeting to have 100 productive coffee shops by 2020.