120 Machines Islandwide Serve Meals From Local Brands Like Springleaf Prata

Ever craved a piping hot chicken briyani from Springleaf Prata, but could not find an open outlet nearby in the middle of the night?

- Sarah Koh

You can now get your fix at one of 120 InstaChef machines across Singapore serving up meals from a variety of home-grown brands, in a six-month pilot programme by food technology company Aikit to test how food and beverage companies can expand their reach without an over-reliance on manpower.

Apart from Springleaf, other household names in the trial include Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks, Takagi Ramen, Tuk Tuk Cha, and Warong Pak Sapari, which has been listed on the Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand.

Each meal costs between $4 and $8, and the portion sizes are comparable to the amount served by the brands in their physical stores, said Mr Sky Goh, Aikit's vice-president of business and operations.

He was speaking to The Straits Times on Sept 9 on the sidelines of the programme's launch at Punggol Coast Mall, where six machines have been set up for customers to order from until Sept 14.