Restaurants are continually looking for new ways to enhance the customer experience. Self-ordering kiosks are a popular technology that’s successfully reduced wait times and increased revenue.
These kiosks are touchscreen tablets that let customers build orders and pay for them using a credit card. They’re also capable of displaying prompts with promotions and menu modifiers.
Improved Customer Experience
In addition to making it easier for customers to order and pay for their meals, self-ordering kiosks also provide an improved customer experience. By reducing the time customers spend waiting in lines, these kiosks help improve customer satisfaction and increase restaurant revenue.
Restaurants can use a self-ordering kiosk to display calorie counts and nutritional information, as well as menu modifiers and customization options. This allows guests to make informed decisions about their orders, which increases customer satisfaction and leads to more repeat visits.
Kiosks also enable staff to customize and prepare orders quickly, saving them time and improving efficiency in the kitchen. They can see how modifications (adding extra toppings, changing cook times, or switching out sides) affect their tickets.
In addition, self-ordering kiosks offer upselling and cross-selling capabilities that can boost revenues across the board. For example, a study from McDonald’s found that customers who ordered through kiosks spent 30% more than those who ordered via a cashier. They also reported that 20% of customers who didn’t initially order a drink would purchase one when offered through the kiosk.
Increased Revenue
When a customer places an order at your kiosk, they get to customize it and make the purchase without the help of a waiter. This can improve their satisfaction and make them return for more food, increasing your restaurant’s revenue.
Kiosks can also provide a better customer experience for people who are anxious or don’t feel comfortable talking with staff. This reduces the chance of a negative online or word-of-mouth review and makes it easier to increase your footfall by bringing in more customers who love the convenience of ordering their meals using self-service technology.
A kiosk can automate many front-of-house tasks and free up your staff to do more critical work, reducing labor costs. This can be a big win for restaurants in the current manpower crisis, as it gives them more flexibility to move their staff around and reallocate labor from areas where they’re not performing well. This creates a more efficient and productive environment for your staff and improves your operating cash flow. The key is to invest in the right technology and choose a kiosk that provides the best experience for your guests.
Increased Customer Satisfaction
Kiosks are designed to improve customer satisfaction by making it easy for customers to browse menu items, place orders, and pay for them. They can also help restaurants reduce long waits in line and increase throughput.
Many fast-food chains are adopting kiosks and replacing cashiers with them. They see significant increases in sales and average ticket size after implementing them.
Another benefit of self-ordering kiosks is their ability to allow customers to customize their orders with add-ons and side dishes. This can save counter staff time and effort from typing in the customizations.
Restaurants that offer self-ordering kiosks have seen a 5-6 percent increase in sales within the first year of implementation.
Additionally, these kiosks have helped fast food chains comply with the CDC’s recommendation for contact-free service to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Restaurants also occasionally need more workers; self-ordering kiosks can help address these problems. This can help restaurant owners keep labor costs low and give them a little wiggle room on staffing late or overnight shifts.
Increased Efficiency
Restaurants can serve more customers in a shorter time thanks to self-ordering kiosks. This increases the throughput, generates more revenue, and allows restaurants to upsell to their patrons.
Moreover, self-ordering kiosks eliminate the chances of mistakes in the order process. When diners place their orders via a cashier, they can miss key information like the items they want, which could affect their meal.
Additionally, staff could mishear a customer’s order, or a diner could press the wrong key on their POS device. These errors can cost restaurants money, and they can be minimized with the help of self-ordering kiosks.
Kiosks can also improve efficiency by allowing staff to move around and focus on areas they need to become more familiar with. This helps with labor costs and can keep restaurants running efficiently on a budget.
Kiosks are a big hit among QSRs, providing customers with a fast, convenient, personalized experience. These features are essential now that the pandemic has reshaped consumer expectations of technology.
Reduced Chances of Order Errors
Incorrect orders cost restaurants money, and they can drive guests away. Fortunately, kiosks eliminate the chance of error by allowing customers to enter their specifications and automatically forward them to the kitchen for production.
Kiosks can also encourage larger order sizes, resulting in a higher average order value for your restaurant. This can be a powerful sales tool because it frees staff to focus on other, more valuable tasks.
Another way that self-ordering kiosks help increase efficiency is by reducing labor costs for your restaurant. Traditionally, restaurant staff was required to take orders from guests as they walked through the door. Using kiosks, you can reallocate these resources to other areas of your restaurant where labor shortage is an issue.
Kiosks can be an excellent solution for many restaurants, but choosing a reliable system that can handle your restaurant’s daily orders and busy times is essential. In addition, it is necessary to have a system that is easy to update and maintain.
