The Rise Of Kiosks and How Your Restaurant Can Benefit

2 Min Read By Melanie Bradley

Competition amongst restaurants has reached an all-time high.
 
The days of depending on good ole customer loyalty simply because your food is “great” or because you were voted “Best Burger of 2010” are long gone. Consumer attention spans are fleeting at best, and our society’s taste buds are constantly being swept away by the newest fad, the trendy new restaurant down the block, or who has the highest number of “check-ins” on Facebook.

So how do you remain competitive? How do you distinguish yourself amongst the zillions of Fast Casual or QSR establishments out there nowadays? You’ve all got great food. Fresh ingredients. Customer loyalty programs. Mobile apps. So, now what?

Picture this:

You forgot your lunch on the kitchen counter this morning. You are swamped with meetings and have roughly 15 minutes to grab something quick, and wolf it down before you head back to the office. You enter your favorite lunch spot, and the line is out the door. You certainly don’t have time to navigate around town to go somewhere else, there simply isn’t enough time.

But wait .. you see a beacon of hope in the corner. It’s a free-standing kiosk. Your stomach is saved.

Whether it be a self-ordering kiosks at a restaurant, or a self-checkout line at the grocery store, one thing is for certain: the speed, ease and convenience of being able to place your order yourself, pay, and either leave/seat yourself are remarkable to say the least.

Kiosks are entering the market at a staggering pace. Not only are they just engaging and appealing to customers; kiosks give consumers the chance to create their own journey and shape their own experience within your restaurant. With the ability to personalize orders, and take their time to browse your menu without holding up a line of impatient customers behind them, customers are embracing the chance to use kiosks any chance they get.

The Benefits of Kiosks in Your Restaurant
  • Create the optimal guest experience– allow guests to place and personalize an order at their own pace, browse your entire menu without pressure, and grab and go in a hurry.
  • Increase Order Accuracy- eliminate mistakes, and additional waste due to having to re-make food, since customers are now in charge of placing their own orders with specialized diet requests, or substitutions.
  • Decrease your lines: speed up your checkout process during the rush, now that guests have multiple avenues to place their orders.
  • Showcase promotions: customers have the ability to view your specials, and participate in your loyalty programs via your kiosk.
  • Increase Revenue: while using a kiosk, every guest will receive suggested upselling options.

Whether you are a Fast Casual, a QSR, a small chain, or a large franchisee establishment, kiosks could be the answer to enriching your customer experience and increasing your ROI.