In this article we will discuss the current challenges of building a food ordering kiosk.
A new technology in a new world
A food ordering kiosk is a compact unit designed to display a restaurant’s menu and take credit card payments. This solution has been developing even more vastly during these pandemic times. No wonder, as there are many advantages to be considered.
A Self-Order Kiosk allows you to stay ahead of your competition by creating a new type of ordering experience for guests: one that is interactive, trendy and gives guests what they want. While your guests place their own orders, your staff can focus on the part of the experience that requires the human touch. Give them the freedom to offer customers more information, focus on upselling and create a more enjoyable experience. Customers order more when they place the order themselves rather than with a server, allowing your staff to instead focus on delivering products to customers. Streamline the number of servers you employ for each shift to become even more efficient.
You can also check out this article to get more information on what a kiosk is.
Restaurant Point of Sale System
The heart of efficient on-premise ordering is the restaurant point-of-sale system. For example, a mobile store streamlines communication between multiple stations within the restaurant and provides data in tandem. Such a system is simple to set up and simplifies the entire process from order taking to customer service. The role of point-of-sale systems today cannot be overlooked. A hybrid system can take orders, process credit card payments and display information on a user friendly screen. The benefits of a point-of-sale system for the on-premises ordering process include:
- Daily tracking of cash in and out.
- Recording the payment methods used by each guest.
- Tracking and measuring sales.
- Generating a sales report for different time periods.
- Real-time collection and storage of guest information.
- A table side ordering system.
- The possibility to use it for take-out as well.
Self-ordering at restaurant kiosks is another revolution in the customer service industry. The process works almost the same way as ordering at the table. The difference is that restaurant kiosks are self-contained. With a tabletop ordering system, the customer selects menu items on a screen at their table. However, with self-ordering kiosks, customers walk to the kiosk to place an order. At the kiosk, the customer selects what they want from the menu list, places their order and makes their payment. They will then be invited to pick up their food.
The future and challenges of food ordering kiosks
What future can we predict for this simple yet efficient solution?
Most restaurants will be replaced by “fast casual”, where customers will be able to order, pay and personalize their orders at intelligent automatic kiosks. Dishes, salads and desserts will be prepared in real time by robots. These robots already exist for pizzas, some dishes and salads and are already able to prepare these dishes from fresh ingredients.
The kiosks will solve two problems: ordering speed and personalization based on customer history. Eventually, facial recognition or the use of a device such as a smartphone will allow establishments to recognize and immediately offer customers their past orders, favourite dishes and personalization options, which can of course take into account allergies, special diets and food intolerances.
But to achieve this future, we must face some challenges. One of the most important is that incremental automation of the food ordering process can reduce vacancies. Second, kiosks should be designed with an emphasis not only on their functionality, but also on being efficient marketing tools. This means that all designers should take a holistic approach and make the food ordering kiosk capable of convincing the consumer to purchase more expensive items.
A kiosk for ordering food may prove to be one of the most effective solutions in response to the pandemic. Therefore, the challenges facing this solution may also present an opportunity for further development. At a time when contactless transactions are so important, the food ordering kiosk is one of the leading solutions for minimizing the risk of infection. This means that now is the best time for restaurants to modernize their business model.
