KFC: The Hard Way VR | Wieden+Kennedy

Designed and built entirely in house by our creative technology group, W+K Lodge, the immersive VR experience incorporates playful design and game mechanics that make virtual reality so popular, such as the escape room concept, mini games and other surprises.

The VR simulation was designed to supplement KFC’s robust, multi-step employee training program.

After successfully completing the five main steps to making KFC chicken—inspecting, rinsing, breading, racking and pressure frying—players exit the secret training kitchen with a high-level glimpse of what goes into cooking Original Recipe chicken.

“What excited us was experimenting with new tools and mediums to tell stories,” says Jonathan Minori, W+K Lodge design director. “VR became an obvious choice to create an immersive experience that teaches trainees how to make KFC’s Original Recipe. The escape room concept builds on the pure training and utility of the experience into something that’s also entertaining and connected to KFC’s iconic founder.”

“In 1940, the Colonel was just one man frying chicken by hand. Now KFC has nearly 19,000 trained cooks across the U.S., and they're still doing it by hand. Our cooking process hasn't changed much in 70 years, but the way we can train our cooks using modern technology sure has." -- George Felix, KFC’s US Marketing Director

What was developed as a supplemental training tool is now accessible to anyone in the Oculus VR Store, giving millions of consumers an entertaining glimpse into KFC’s handcrafted process of making Original Recipe fried chicken.

Enter at your own peril, and see if you have what it takes to make Original Recipe fried chicken the Colonel Sanders’ way—the Hard Way.