Samsung's weirdest Galaxy phone stunt involves AR and secret food menus
In what might be one of the most bizarre cross-promotions ever, Samsung has teamed up with four UK restaurant chains to give Galaxy phone owners access to special dishes available only on a secret menu.
According to Samsung's website, anyone who owns one of its Galaxy phones (sorry iPhone friends!), can visit a participating Bill’s, The Breakfast Club, Patty & Bun, or Pizza Pilgrims and use the device to scan an in-restaurant AR code to unlock secret dishes.
"You’re probably here because we’ve got your taste buds tingling for something special," reads the website. "Bill’s, The Breakfast Club, Patty & Bun, and Pizza Pilgrims have been secretly creating some exciting dishes that only Samsung owners can get their teeth into."
To access the secret menu on location, Galaxy owners (any should work) need to go to www.samsungsecretmenu.co.uk and use the camera to scan a "black and white marker" before being able to see the secret menu items.
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Errr... OK. Samsung still hasn't announced a new release date for the Galaxy Fold even though it has reportedly fixed the issues that led to review units breaking, but sure, secret food menu!
What kind of exclusive menu items should Galaxy owners expect to find after scanning the AR code? Samsung doesn't say — it's a secret (duh!) — but it's probably a safe bet it won't be anything truly gourmet.
"The dishes apparently include a colorful twist on a classic from Bill’s, a mystery sweet treat from The Breakfast Club, a new burger from Patty & Bun, and a limited edition pizza from Pizza Pilgrims," T3 reports.
Reactions on Samsung's stunt are mixed. Some people seem to really be into the idea:
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Others, not so much:
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Our advice to Samsung: stick to making great phones. Food should never be exclusive to any specific type of device owner.
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
