First, the slices of bread slid into a toaster and landed on the counter where a wrapping paper was neatly placed. The patty and bacon were then removed from their little drawers, which were powered by electricity to keep them warm. The meats lay on the bread, as the barbeque sauce made its way through the bottle in a swirling movement and settled atop.
Welcome to Burger King’s outlet at Goldhill Centre, where you can see your burger made right in front of your eyes – or what some might call an open-kitchen concept.
Opened this August, it was the first time the fast food chain broke down its kitchen walls, allowing customers a sneak peak at what goes on behind. “It assures our customers that the foods are hot and freshly made upon ordering at the counter,” says a spokesperson of Burger King Singapore.
But putting aside the fact that it’s a breakthrough for the fast food chain, the assembly of burgers seems to fall short of the precedents of open-kitchen.
The concept of open-kitchens in Singapore traces back to the 1800s, when the new immigrants began to peddle on the streets. Whether it was the Bhai selling teh tarik, the Chinese frying Char Hae Mee (fried prawn noodles) or the Malay barbequing hundreds of satay – they displayed their cooking as street performances.
Although these open kitchens were born out of circumstances, it would not be wrong to say that they were the pioneers of live cooking. This practise was carried forward to the hawker centres after the hawkers were relocated.
In the late 20th century, the perception of cooking began to change from being a chore to a social act. Coupled with the perfection of extractor hood, open-kitchen was brought indoors.
In 2000, Crystal Jade Group’s La Mian Xiao Long Bao opened its first outlet with a see-through kitchen so customers, and even passer-bys, could watch the chef make “128 strands of noodles in just seven seconds”. As said by the company’s spokeswoman, “This provides visual entertainment to our customers.”
Hotels soon followed suit. In 2004, Hyatt Hotel opened Straits Kitchen, a buffet restaurant made of up of several “cooking exhibits”, where “guests can smell the wonderful aroma emanating from the tandoor ovens and watch as chefs fire up their woks”.
Soon even food courts opened up, such as Food Republic at its Wisma Atria outlet in 2005. “We wanted to emulate the old Albert Food Street so that people can reminisce when they eat there,” said the spokesperson for Makansutra, the food court’s design consultant.
Vital to their success was good hygiene practices.
An ex-employee of a mega food court operator spoke about the importance of cleanliness from experience. “We couldn’t get the stallholders at our open kitchen food court to keep their stalls clean and tidy,” said the man, who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. “Instead of showcase, we throw face.”
While an open-kitchen is capable of bringing entertainment, giving insight to relatively new culinary techniques and even triggering fond memories, Burger King’s does not offer any of these.
“We know it is more interesting to show how the food is made from scratch, but with a target serving time to meet, we have to make a compromise,” explains the spokesperson for Burger King.
This compromise need not necessarily be made. American fast food chains like In-N-Out Burger, or Shake Shack, are able to grill their patties in their customer’s view and still manage to get their burgers out fast and fresh.
It looks like what Burger King needs to do is to find a formula that works for them without shortchanging the high expectations of an open-kitchen.
Having said that, this is the first time the fast food chain is venturing into such a concept and since it is, according to the spokesperson, having plans to open more next year, we shall reserve our judgment and observe how things develop.
