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What do you think of self-service ordering kiosks in restaurants? —Pat B., St. Louis
Truth be told, I've never been more ambivalent about a new technology in my life.
When you see a fast food customer gravitate immediately to an order kiosk, like I did the other day, tap out an order, then immediately look back to his smartphone screen—totally oblivious to the idle counterperson awaiting potentially the same order—you have to wonder, 'What is going on here?'
McDonald’s announced earlier this year that it will spend $1 billion in 2019 to upgrade 2,000 locations with kiosks and other technology. Taco Bell is aiming to have them in all locations by the end of the year. Along with digital delivery sales, kiosks are part of the push toward so-called “convenience maximalism.”
(According to The Atlantic, next year more than half of restaurant spending will come from deliveries, drive-throughs, and takeaway meals, overtaking in-house dining for the first time on record and accounting for as much as 80 percent of the industry’s growth in the next five years.)
For now, let’s weigh the pros and cons of the kiosk for restaurateurs.
Pros:
- Convenience: Once familiar with the technology, customers can place (and pay for) fast- or fast-casual orders more quickly and accurately than from a counterperson. And if there's a line at the counter, self order terminals are a godsend.
- Upsell potential: Restaurants report that kiosks are more effective than humans at upselling, which increases per person sales.
- Rewards potential: Once restaurants realized that it was more cost efficient to entice an existing customer to return than to attract a new one, so-called “rewards programs” took off. I see kiosks as the next generation equivalent of the frequent diner punch card.
- Better labor optimization: When restaurants are having trouble attracting and retaining employees—and they are now more than ever—so-called “contact-free” ordering makes perfect sense. In fact, many think the fast-food industry may be the first to fully automate.
Cons:
- Ease of Use/Integration: To date, I’ve found several kiosk systems to be problematic (especially when attempting to pay) and not reflective of the current specials, making me wish I’d just ordered at the counter.
- Adoption rate: Some customers (especially older ones) are slower to adapt to new technologies, if they adapt at all. In a poll released by MSN, 78 percent of all diners said they were less likely to eat at a restaurant with self-ordering kiosks.
- Cost: Restaurants (especially the smaller ones) should do a thorough cost-benefit analysis before investing huge sums in a device that ultimately may not be cost efficient.
- Negating the human factor: Call me old-fashioned, but I enjoy interacting at the order counter. I want more out of a restaurant experience (and life) than soulless screens. With kiosks, the only human contact is often only at the point of handoff, and it’s minimal. ("Number 335? Thank you.”) While I genuinely appreciate technology, I just find that sad.
If you have a question for George, email him at gmahe@stlmag.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @stlmag_dining. For more from SLM, subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
