Handing Over the Guest Experience to the Guests

While more and more restaurants are embraced technology – including digital gift cards, loyalty programs, and online ordering – more restaurant technology companies are committing to innovation, creating products that revolutionize the restaurant experience as we know it.

One of those products is the restaurant kiosk, which gives guests complete control over ordering and paying for their food. However, with new technology comes new responsibility. Restaurateurs might have questions such as:

• How will the guest experience be impacted?
• How could kiosks improve operations and grow revenue for my business?
• Will kiosks eliminate human interaction in restaurants?

How is the Guest Experience Impacted?

According to the National Restaurant Association, 37 percent of restaurant operators consider the customer ordering process to be the most important area of development in the next five years. Also, 42 percent of diners would use self-service ordering kiosks if available.

Why? Kiosks can help shorten lines at the register during busy times and reduce the likelihood of getting the wrong orders. Plus, customers have the power to discover new menu items and personalize their order right at their fingertips.

“I absolutely recommend looking at kiosk technology because it offers an avenue for people to do everything on their own,” said Jon Arbitman of Protein Bar. “Customers like to have that choice. It may not be the only payment option, but it’s a great option to have for customers who want to get in and out quickly.”

Can Kiosks Grow Sales and Improve Operations?

For the restaurateur, there are clear benefits. Kiosks improve throughput, which increases sales. Customer convenience results in more frequent visits and guest loyalty.

Kiosks have even been shown to increase average check size. And while a lot of the research has been on full-service tabletop restaurant kiosks, the same psychology applies to all kiosks.

Customers at a kiosk don’t feel the same time and/or social pressure as they might with a large line behind them at the counter, so they can take their time and order more. Also, the same merchandising techniques for cross selling and upselling that have been employed by ecommerce companies for years can be applied in the kiosk software, and this also increases order size.  

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