Pickl and Commercial Bank International (CBI) served burgers from the Metaverse in a world-first digital-to-physical experience at GITEX Global. The two Dubai-headquartered, UAE-founded brands made history by bringing a large-scale Metaverse dining experience to life for the first time.
100 guests at the globe’s biggest tech show got a first-hand look into the future by entering Pickl’s virtual restaurant, placing their order, then receiving a physical burger just a few minutes later. The experience was brought to life at CBI’s Activation Partner stand in the XVerse tent of GITEX Global at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Visitors were able to collect a token in a simulated Web3 wallet which gave them access to the experience through the Metaverse platform Portals, after creating their own avatar.
Entering CBI’s virtual space through an immersive wrap-around floor-to-ceiling screen, visitors had to navigate their way to the Pickl counter and place their order, choosing from the full range of Pickl burgers – Cheeseburgers, Chicken Sandos, or plant-based Impossible Cheeseburgers.
After redeeming their token at the virtual Pickl register, the burgers were then made fresh to order at Pickl’s food truck and delivered directly to the customer at the CBI stand in real time.
Simon Ritchie, Comms Director at Pickl, said: "We’ve been working on our Metaverse plans all year and this collaboration with CBI was the perfect opportunity to showcase the possibilities that restaurants have in the virtual world. As Pickl expands across the globe, we envision our guests meeting with friends from other countries in different Pickl Metaverse activations while simultaneously enjoying our burgers and sandos together. With the UAE set to lead the way globally in the Metaverse with its upcoming Dubaiverse, it’s exciting to see two homegrown brands like Pickl and CBI coming together to showcase the unlimited potential of this technology."
Commenting on the Metaverse activation, Giovanni Everduin, Head of Strategy & Innovation at CBI, said: "It’s the first time any fast-food brand around the world has directly experienced a proper physical-to-digital Metaverse dining experience on a large scale. By doing so, Pickl and CBI have highlighted the future potential for food ordering in the virtual world and how the Metaverse will further enable a digital economy."
