“Quick summary” People don't have a lot of patience to wait in lines or place food orders because the world and technology are moving so quickly. With diminishing patience and growing technologies such as online ordering, contactless payments, digital menus, and so on, their perspective and expectations when visiting a restaurant have been entirely changed.
Self-ordering kiosks for your restaurant are one of the most popular technologies available to customers.
Don’t believe us; let numbers speak for themselves. When it comes to ordering orders, 95% of Generation Z prefer to use kiosks. They are quick and simple to use, allowing customers to skip the long line and tap into seamless ordering with self-ordering kiosks.
It is a game changer for restaurants as well. They can save staff time and effort, boost order accuracy, increase customer satisfaction, and average order per value boost customer spend. That’s why fast-food giants like McDonald’s and KFC have been using self-service kiosks for over a decade.
Keep reading to know more about self-ordering kiosks, benefits, and some tips to get the best one for your restaurant!
Self-ordering kiosks are self-service devices that let customers order food from a touchscreen kiosk without interacting with restaurant workers. It also allows customers to modify orders, make payments, and generate a full receipt with all the information.
They have grown in prominence in the hospitality industry because of the numerous benefits of self-ordering kiosks to customers and restaurants.
The conventional self-ordering kiosk is a free-standing physical structure that displays the whole menu to consumers and allows them to place an order directly at the POS (according to their specific needs) without the intervention of a cashier or other staff.
Let us look at some of the reasons why these systems are so popular in quick-service restaurants, fast-food restaurants, casual dining establishments, and so on.
In today's fast-paced business landscape, small businesses are constantly seeking innovative & cost-effective ways to enhance their operations and improve the customer experience. Self-service kiosks have emerged as a valuable tool for achieving these goals.
These interactive terminals empower customers to independently browse, order, and complete transactions while providing small business owners with increased efficiency and cost savings.
Here are some of the benefits of self-service kiosks for the small-scale business:
The benefits of self-ordering kiosks are varied and will set your restaurant up for success. With the right Kiosk and its implementation, you can leverage its out-of-the-box features - leading to enhanced customer satisfaction at lesser costs.
Below, we will be discussing the wide range of benefits that self-ordering kiosks bring to the table ranging from reduced wait times and convenient customer experience to higher revenues because of upselling and even making data-driven decisions for your businesses.
Let’s dig down and find out more about it.
Let's be honest: standing in line sucks. Customers must stand there, gazing at the back of the person in front of them, trying not to drool on their clothing.
In fact, a Tillster survey indicated that 75% of customers would opt to order from a self-service kiosk if the line to purchase is longer than 5 persons.
What happens if there are 10 people in line? 91% of people say they would prefer to place their order at a restaurant kiosk.
Not to mention how long it might take cashiers to type in orders. You can put an end to all of that with kiosks. Your customers can simply walk up to the device, choose their order, make a payment, and they're done.
It is also beneficial for restaurants, as they're taking in more customers and fulfilling more orders without needing to hire more staff.
When the concept of contactless dining initially became available, it created a bit of confusion in the world. Due to its convenience and safety, it is now becoming more and more in demand. Customers can order and pay for goods and services through self-service kiosks.
Self-service kiosks can handle activities like splitting the cost. Almost 75% of customers rated the capacity for splitting the bill as their most requested self-payment option.
Customers can enjoy a great deal of convenience and comfort when a kiosk or other self-payment option is available. Approximately 61% of customers claim they now prefer buying from businesses accepting contactless payments.
Since there is no pressure from the server to check out early, customers get a satisfactory experience leading to more tips from them.
Have your customers ever placed an order for a burger without pickles only to get one with more pickles - leaving them angry and unsatisfied?
It's a typical issue the restaurant business faces, and it's frustrating for both consumers and restaurant owners.
When customers place an order at your restaurant, they expect to get what they ordered. Using kiosks helps improve order accuracy.
Human errors are frequent when busy employees attempt to take so many orders, and kiosks help minimize this risk. Even while mistakes can still happen in the kitchen, the customer's order is precisely what is entered into the system and forwarded to the kitchen.
These consumer ordering systems also avoid miscommunications that can occur during the procedure.
As it is available in different languages plus comes with clear text and attractive visuals while eliminating the problem of order inaccuracy and enhancing customer satisfaction.
Self-service ordering kiosks greatly influence check sizes from your customers.
Simply put, you are not required to depend on your staff to upsell or cross-sell your customers. Self-ordering kiosks can increase the average check per client while drawing customers' attention to relevant products or add-ons.
It motivates clients to purchase more without the need for human intervention.
For instance, many rivals of McDonald's have discovered that touch-screen menu ordering systems encourage customers to spend more money.
The screen also features enticing images of dishes and sides that persuade clients to add them to their orders.
When it comes to upselling or putting your high-margin items in front and center of your customers, visuals are a crucial component of the self-ordering kiosks for your restaurant.
With a self-ordering kiosk system for your restaurant, you're giving your customers the freedom to order the way they prefer. Some people enjoy browsing through a digital menu on a touchscreen kiosk, while others prefer using their smartphones to access a QR code and explore your menu.
With this system, you can cater to both preferences, ensuring a seamless and personalized ordering experience for everyone.
But that's not all. The best self-ordering kiosk system even simplifies the payment process too. Customers can choose their preferred payment method, whether it's cash, credit card, or mobile payment apps.
This flexibility not only saves time but also reduces the chances of errors during the payment process. It's a win-win situation for both you and your customers.
The customers at your restaurant sometimes look for personalized orders. Sometimes, they wish to substitute the fries for a salad or they might need to add more bacon to their burger.
But are hesitant to ask!
However, self-ordering Kiosks solve this problem as well.
Customers can order exactly what they want, whether it calls for more toppings, more cooking time, or anything else.
The customer will receive exactly what they want because the kiosk can provide all menu information (including nutritional and dietary metrics) along with other customization possibilities.
It saves the time of your workers and doesn’t have to memorize every possible and then mess it up later!
Customers don't have to worry about confusing the cashier or clogging the line by customizing their orders to suit their needs. It leads to improved consumer happiness, an upsurge in brand value, higher sales, and ultimately profitability.
Customer and customer preferences are at the core of any business. Simply obtaining and exploiting the data you collect from your clients can significantly differentiate you from other businesses when it comes to focusing and advertising for new businesses.
Building a 360-degree perspective of your clients can enable you to spend your marketing budget more wisely and increase restaurant sales.
Touchscreen menu ordering systems can help you if you want to maximize the impact of your business's data by using it in a personalized and targeted way.
Kiosks give you the ability to gather a wide range of data touchpoints that you can utilize in your day-to-day operations to recommend and upsell customers as per their past preferences.
You can create a more profitable digital ordering process that your consumers will adore by studying key facts like the most popular menu items, preferred item arrangements, or preferred seasonings through the help of a self-ordering Kiosk.
Quick-service restaurants have limited time to inform customers about exclusive deals, fresh menu items, and improved selections. In-store marketing includes marketing signage, menu boards, staff informing customers, and other effective methods. But, this marketing requires a significant amount of time and effort.
However, Restaurant kiosks or self-ordering systems are an easier alternative for marketing and keeping your customers updated with the best and latest marketing schemes.
Here’s everything you can do with self-ordering kiosks for in-store marketing:
With real-time updates and optimized in-store marketing, you can improve your marketing success rate without the need for your staff to promote a new sale or menu item. In this way, you can even reduce your marketing spending through other methods.
Self-ordering kiosks for your restaurants are also helpful in addressing the productivity issue by enabling owners to shift workers as needed. The front-of-house workers who previously had to physically take orders can now concentrate on other duties that will boost sales and enhance the client experience.
With the out-of-the-box benefits of the kiosk for your restaurant, you may even speed up the meal preparation process and provide a better customer experience.
This type of flexible hiring increases productivity while also potentially lowering your overall labor costs. Although self-ordering kiosks cannot completely replace restaurant staff, they may allow you to have fewer employees on duty during peak hours.
Additionally, saving money on employee recruitment and management might help keep overhead expenses manageable for businesses with limited resources.
Self-service kiosks are a component of point-of-sale (POS) systems linked with each other over the Internet.
These high-end technology systems and portals enable restaurants to remotely monitor the systems seamlessly, enabling managers to oversee their restaurants regardless of the time and location.
What many restaurant operators may not realize is that self-service kiosks do far more than just take orders. They support inventory management and price regulation while monitoring customer information and habits through loyalty schemes.
All these details simplify restaurant administration, and having access to remote controls and monitoring enables management to conduct business even when they are not present.
Read on if you manage multiple restaurant locations: Remote monitoring and management are especially advantageous for franchisees who control or oversee many locations. They can easily log into the system to see what's going on at your locations - while tapping into better management.
Before choosing a restaurant kiosk, you need to consider the features it offers to ensure it has all the required functionality available for your business.
If not everything, it has some of the basic yet beneficial features such as menu management, end-to-end loyalty, and upselling, availability of real-time updates, along with a seamless and secure payment experience.
All these features can contribute to your restaurant's overall success and growth while delighting your customers with a convenient and personalized self-service solution.
Let’s find out more about these features and how they will be beneficial for your restaurant business:
A restaurant kiosk with robust menu-building capabilities allows you to easily create and manage your menu offerings. This feature enables you to showcase your dishes, prices, descriptions, and dietary information in an organized and visually appealing manner.
Integrating loyalty and upselling features into your restaurant kiosk can help increase customer engagement, drive sales, and encourage repeat visits. These features provide personalized recommendations and incentives to customers, enhancing their overall satisfaction.
Here’s how a self-ordering kiosk can help you in loyalty & upselling:
In a fast-paced restaurant environment, the ability to instantly update menu items, prices, and promotions is crucial - to serve trendy and required items to your customers. So, look for a restaurant kiosk that allows you to make real-time changes and modifications without the need for manual intervention.
Offering a variety of payment options is essential to accommodate different customer preferences and increase convenience. Your restaurant kiosk should support various payment methods to ensure a smooth and hassle-free transaction process.
Above, we have discussed how self-ordering kiosks streamline restaurants' operations and management.
But what if you don’t need to invest hefty capital in incorporating this system or don’t have the extra space, or want to offer convenience to your customers?
No matter wherever your problem is, a Self-ordering tablet-based POS system is the solution!
This tablet-based system allows you to adapt to the new tech, provide a seamless customer experience, and save your staff time within your budget and space.
To know more about the Tablet-self ordering system benefits and some tips before choosing the ideal one, keep reading!
Benefits of self-ordering tablet kiosk for your restaurant:
Tips for choosing the best self-ordering tablet system:
Self-ordering kiosks are shaping the future of dining as more and more restaurants use them to make things easier and more effective for staff and consumers.
The benefits of Kiosks in restaurants are immense, including increased customer happiness, decreased costs, increased revenues, and better staff management.
There is no doubt that self-service kiosks necessitate a significant one-time expenditure. However, the advantages and long-term cost-effectiveness considerably exceed the one-time costs. The increasing popularity of these kiosks demonstrates the fact that the investment is well worth it.
You can even choose to go with tablet-based kiosks that interact with your current POS system to forego that significant expenditure. They are a far more cost-effective and user-friendly solution for independent restaurants.
A QR-based table kiosk is a technology that restaurants employ to make ordering easier. Customers can order this by using their phones.
The table kiosk using QR technology is quick and easy. There is a QR code on each table in the restaurant. Customers can use their phones to scan the barcode and can view the menu and pricing. Once they've selected what to eat, the consumer can place their order using their phone.
And, yes, you can surely use it instead of the physical self-ordering kiosk for your restaurant.
Here’s why?
This option is popular for restaurants who want to provide their guests the benefit of high-end sophisticated technology without investing in equipment. It can save restaurants thousands of dollars, and it's also a quite simple method to use.
Considering the benefits it offers to the customers while also generating beneficial outcomes for the restaurants, we can say that restaurant kiosks are the future of the restaurant industry.
According to research, 65% of consumers would return to a restaurant if self-service kiosks were available, and 30% prefer to purchase from a touch-screen menu ordering system rather than the ordering counter.
Big fast-food chains and quick-service dining establishments, such as Chili's and McDonald's, had previously implemented and experienced the benefits of self-ordering kiosks in their restaurant.
Following the installation of these kiosks, McDonald's claimed an average 5%–6% rise in sales, and Chili's reported a whopping 20% increase in dessert sales.
Here is why?
To save on the substantial cost of installing self-ordering kiosks and avail greater convenience, many restaurants opt for self-ordering tablet-based POS kiosks to get the best benefits at lower costs and greater convenience.
If you are looking for a step-by-step implementation guide to set up the self-ordering kiosk in your restaurants, then check out the following points.
Integrating a restaurant kiosk with a POS system improves the variety of benefits for your restaurant business. And these benefits contribute to a more streamlined and customer-centric dining experience while driving significant cost savings and supporting business growth.
Integrating a restaurant kiosk with a POS system offers the following benefits:
The cost of installing different types of self-ordering kiosk systems can vary depending on several factors, such as your business’ custom requirements, its feature, kiosk provider, type of kiosk, and other things around.
Here's a general overview of the cost considerations for various types of self-ordering kiosk systems:
While calculating the cost of installing a self-ordering kiosk for your restaurant, you should also keep in mind factors such as maintenance, training, software licensing fees, potential future upgrades, etc.