Do Self-Ordering Kiosks Make Fast Food Faster? (And Are They Worth It For Smaller Outlets?)

Are self-ordering kiosks making fast food even faster?

In a word – yes. 

Self-service kiosks have been shown to cut queuing times by up to 50% during peak hours. 

For this reason, in a six month window more than 345,000 self-ordering kiosks were installed in quick-service restaurants. The market size for self-service kiosks is expected to keep growing with a compound annual growth rate of 12.6% between now and 2027.

With the popularity of self-ordering kiosks growing, what does this mean for smaller independent fast-food outlets? Is it worth the initial outlay to get them safely and securely installed?

There are obvious benefits in terms of faster customer service and order turnaround. But are there any other benefits or possible drawbacks of using self-ordering kiosks? Let’s find out.

When you go out for fast-food the last thing you want is to wait in a long line of hungry customers. It kind of spoils the fun if “fast” isn’t part of the experience.

If you run a busy fast-food restaurant having one or more self-ordering kiosks, means you can handle a lot more orders during peak times without needing more front-of-house staff. 

The great thing is, it doesn’t have to be expensive to install one. All you need is a standard iPad or other tablet device and an iPad stand that goes on top of your counter. Alternatively, you can mount a device on the wall, along with a card reader. 

Healthy eating chain Tossed trialed tablet stands for self-ordering in one of their restaurants. The kiosks proved so successful with staff and customers that they rolled them out across all their London locations. 

When customers visit a fast food restaurant, they’re looking for more than just food. They want a good experience too. An easy way to personalize orders without the pressure of making quick decisions at the counter is a dream come true for many customers. They can take their time, picking out just the toppings, sides, and extras they want.

It’s also a good way to upsell extra products. Some fast food retailers have seen an increased average order value of up to 30% since adding self-ordering kiosks. You can easily suggest sides, drinks, or desserts to complement the customer order and even offer discounts for multi-buys.

Some fast food outlets have used their self-service kiosks to offer loyalty programs and promotions, such as a free dessert after buying a certain amount of meals. 

When orders are placed through a self-service kiosk or iPad, they’re sent directly to the kitchen, so staff can start prepping the food immediately. There’s no waiting around for orders to be passed on, making for a much more efficient flow.

As everything is digitized and updated live, the chance of error is greatly reduced. This is especially true for custom requests, such as no sauce or cheese. The orders are usually right the first time, which cuts down on waste. 

Hop Vietnamese introduced self-service kiosks to improve customer service by allowing diners to order directly from tablets mounted on iPad stands. This helped to enhance efficiency and customer experience by reducing wait times and errors, as well as allowing for personalized meal customization.

Self-ordering kiosks also allow you to track orders more easily, which lets you see patterns in items that sell more than others. This means you can fine-tune your stock levels and cut waste that way too.

The future of self-ordering is sure to include AI. With integrated AI, kiosks can analyze patterns in what customers order and when. It can then optimize ordering based on time of day, predicting what items will be popular and preparing kitchen staff for smoother prep during rush hours and less food waste.

As voice recognition technology improves, people will be able to place orders verbally, as they would with a human cashier. This is great for individuals who find touchscreens challenging to use, making the technology accessible to a wider audience, including those with disabilities. 

Touchless gesture-based controls are ideal for self-ordering kiosks in restaurants, as they improve hygiene and accessibility, so expect to see these rolled out as the accuracy of the tech improves. 

Bouncepad offers a wide range of tablet stands to meet any use case and budget. With sturdy, ergonomic design and built-in security features they are ideal for fast food self-ordering kiosks.  Get in touch for more info.