KFC's Bizarre VR Chicken Frying Escape Room Game Is An Employee Training Tool

KFC has a new employee training tool in the works that locks trainees, who want to learn to fry up chicken with the secret recipe in a room, and doesn't let them leave until they learn the process. The good news for trainees is that the room is virtual, but it is still doesn't make it any less weird.

KFC released a trailer for the virtual training experience called "The Hard Way: A Virtual Reality Training Experience" and the fast food joint says that this will actually be used to train new workers. The training experience is said to be high on production value and more like a game than training. However, it does outline the basic steps for frying chicken.

The trailer gives a horror/survival feel to the training episode set in a creepy office complete with a portrait of Colonel Sanders with eyes that blink. The VR training will be part of earning the Chicken Mastery Certification (yes that is a real certification). KFC's parent company, Yum! Brands, said in a press release about the VR project, "KFC will use the VR simulation to supplement its robust, multi-step employee training program, called Chicken Mastery Certification, which provides detailed eLearning and hands-on training for cooks in each of KFC’s kitchens. KFC will provide yet another platform for training by bringing the VR simulation technology to its regional general manager training classes, quarterly franchise meetings, and employee onboarding."

It's cool to see VR being used to train workers, as this is one of the big potential uses for the technology. Surprising as it may be, this isn't the weirdest thing that KFC has done. In China it teamed up with Huawei for a special edition KFC smartphone back in July. Some Chinese locations have a system that uses Baidu Facial Recognition to make meal suggestions, and locations in India have really embraced odd technology tie-ins complete with a takeout box that doubles as a smartphone charger.