What is Self-Service Kiosk? How It Benefits Restaurants & Takeaways?
Boost efficiency in your restaurant, takeaway businesses with self-service kiosks! Discover how these interactive tools streamline ordering, reduce errors, and drive profits while enhancing customer experience. Learn their benefits and tips to choose one!
Contents
- What is Self-Service Kiosk & How Does It Work
- Types of Self-Service Kiosk
- Self-Ordering Kiosk
- Queue Kiosk
- 5 Benefits of Self-Service Kiosk for Restaurants & Takeaways
- 1. Safer, Contactless Experience
- 2. More Accuracy, Less Errors
- 3. Shorter Queues & Faster Service
- 4. Higher Profits & Bigger Orders
- 5. Greater Flexibility & Convenience
- Tips to Find the Best Self-Service Kiosk
- How are Eats365’s Self Service Kiosks Different
What is Self-Service Kiosk & How Does It Work?
A self-service kiosk is an interactive POS terminal that allows customers to perform tasks independently, such as placing orders or making payments, without needing assistance from staff. These kiosks typically feature a touchscreen interface, an intuitive menu, and sometimes additional hardware like card readers, receipt printers, or QR code scanners.
In restaurants and takeaways, self-service kiosks streamline the ordering process by letting customers browse the menu, customize their orders, and pay in one seamless flow. For example, in a fast-food restaurant, customers can walk up to the kiosk, select their items, pay with a credit card or mobile payment, and receive a receipt or order number for pickup. This eliminates the need to queue up at the counter and reduces wait times.
The technology behind these kiosks often integrates with the restaurant’s point-of-sale (POS) system. This ensures orders are transmitted directly to the kitchen, reducing the risk of human error and speeding up order fulfillment. By automating these tasks, self-service kiosks not only enhance the customer experience but also free up staff to focus on more complex or customer-oriented tasks.
Types of Self-Service Kiosk
Self-Ordering Kiosk
A self-ordering kiosk is designed for customers to independently place orders and make payments in a restaurant or takeaway setting.
These kiosks are particularly popular in fast-food chains, where they help manage high customer volumes efficiently. Customers can browse through digital menus, which often include images or videos of the dishes, helping them make quicker and more informed choices.
Self-ordering kiosks also allow customization options, like adding extra toppings, removing ingredients, or selecting portion sizes. Once the order is confirmed, customers can proceed to payment using various methods like credit cards, mobile payments, or gift cards. The kiosk then sends the order directly to the kitchen, ensuring a streamlined process with minimal errors.
For restaurants, self-ordering kiosks can increase sales by promoting upsells (e.g., “Would you like to add fries?”) and reduce operational costs by decreasing reliance on counter staff. Customers benefit from a faster, more personalized experience, which can improve overall satisfaction.
Queue Kiosk
Queue kiosks are ideal for restaurants or takeaways that deal with high foot traffic, such as food courts or busy cafes.
These kiosks help manage customer flow by assigning a digital queue number when customers arrive. Instead of standing in long lines, customers can relax and wait for their turn to be displayed on a screen or announced via a notification system. These kiosks are particularly beneficial in reducing perceived wait times and preventing overcrowding at counters.
By streamlining the queue management process, they ensure fair and orderly service, minimizing confusion and frustration. Queueing kiosks often integrate with mobile apps, allowing customers to check their queue status remotely. This can be a significant advantage during peak hours, as it enhances convenience and customer satisfaction. Additionally, they provide data insights into customer patterns, helping restaurants & F&B business owners improve operational strategies and staff allocation.
5 Benefits of Self-Service Kiosk for Restaurants & Takeaways
1. Safer, Contactless Experience
Self-service kiosks offer a hygienic, contactless way for customers to place orders and pay. With regularly sanitized surfaces and touch-free payment options, kiosks ensure safety and efficiency, especially in quick-serve settings.
2. More Accuracy, Less Errors
Kiosks allow customers to input their own orders, reducing miscommunication and minimizing human error. This ensures consistent and reliable order fulfillment, crucial in fast-paced environments.
3. Shorter Queues & Faster Service
Kiosks streamline ordering, enabling customers to place and pay for orders quickly. This reduces waiting times, shortens queues, and enhances the overall dining experience, encouraging repeat visits.
4. Higher Profits & Bigger Orders
Automating tasks lowers labor costs and boosts efficiency. Kiosks also upsell effectively through visuals and deals, increasing the average spend per customer without relying on staff intervention.
5. Greater Flexibility & Convenience
Kiosks support easy menu updates, multilingual interfaces, and centralized accounting. They adapt quickly to new items, cater to diverse languages, and simplify accounting, offering seamless operations for businesses and customers alike.
Tips to Find the Best Self-Service Kiosk
When choosing a self-service kiosk for your restaurant or takeaway, several factors should be considered to ensure it meets your business needs. Here are some tips to help you make the right choice:
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User-Friendly Interface:
Look for a kiosk with an intuitive and responsive touchscreen interface. A clutter-free design and easy navigation ensure customers can quickly place orders without confusion. -
Customizable Features:
Opt for a kiosk system that allows menu customization, supports upselling prompts, and integrates seamlessly with your existing POS or kitchen display system. -
Payment Flexibility:
Ensure the kiosk supports various payment options, including credit cards, mobile payments, and QR code scanning. This flexibility accommodates a broader customer base. -
Durability & Design:
The kiosk should be robust enough to handle constant use and designed to fit your restaurant’s aesthetic. Compact designs are ideal for smaller spaces. -
Vendor Support:
Partner with a reliable vendor that provides installation assistance, training, and ongoing technical support. Regular software updates are crucial to keep your kiosk running smoothly.
How are Eats365’s Self Service Kiosks Different?
Eats365’s Self Service Kiosk does not exist on its own.
As one module that makes up a larger, fully-integrated ecosystem of products and services, Eats365’s Self Service Kiosk can be used in conjunction with other Eats365 modules so that a restaurant’s entire chain of operations is highly-automated and optimized under one system.
This means that once an order has been entered into Eats365’s Self Service Kiosk, the relevant order data can immediately be fired to the correct kitchen stations via Kitchen Display Systems. The order will also be received on the restaurant’s POS system for checking and can be tracked and managed by staff until it is ready for pickup.
By automating the process, not only is your business able to reduce staff and boost turnover, but there is also the additional benefit of making fewer mistakes due to human error. In addition, all purchases are easily trackable, meaning that your business’ accounts are always up-to-date and you can benefit from informative real-time reporting.
Eats365's Self Service Kiosks are also able to be integrated with pagers, which is ideal for food court businesses. After placing an order, customers can pick up a pager and be alerted when their meal is ready.
Eats365 also provides a number of other Self-Order Solutions that can benefit your F&B business.
Discover why our customers love using Eats365 Self-Serve Kiosks!