Fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's will begin training all part-time employees in Japan nationwide using the Nintendo DS handheld.
Japanese newspaper Nikkei claims McDonald's has developed software for the Nintendo DS that uses it "as an input device to teach the various kitchen tasks like deep-frying potatoes and how to interact with customers."
Given the popularity of the console in Japan, McDonald's expects training will be streamlined and much more effective, cutting training time nearly in half.
Each restaurant will receive two Nintendo DS consoles along with the the company's eSMART training software.
Part-timers are now trained by shadowing instructors in the stores, reported Nikkei. With the new DS-based training procedure, the firm figures that it can halve the time needed for the minimum necessary training to just over 20 hours.
It will cost the company $2.2 million.
Get a daily look at what’s developing in science and technology throughout the world.