CHINESE food brand Wufangzhai has opened an unmanned restaurant in Hangzhou, capital city of East China’s Zhejiang Province.

Wufangzhai is a 97-year-old brand and is a famous producer of Zongzi, glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in leaves.

The company collaborated with Koubei, a food and dining service operated by e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba, to launch its first unmanned restaurant, where customers can order and take meals on their own.

Without waiting in line, customers can order meals through self-service machines or by scanning a quick response code on a table with their smart phones, and take their meals from a cupboard in the restaurant.

The restaurant offers a 24-hour service, along with dish recommendations for customers based on big data provided by Koubei.

“It is very convenient to use a phone to order meals with the recommendation service,” said a man surnamed He from Hangzhou. “It only takes about three minutes to wait for the meals.”

Dining in the unmanned restaurant is “a fresh experience,” said another resident. “The self-service process is easy and smooth.”

“The restaurant mainly depends on the big data of Koubei, which can improve its running and management,” said Koubei CEO Fan Chi. (Xinhua)