For foodservice businesses with front-end ordering, such as cafés, diners, and fast-food restaurants, self-ordering kiosks can be a great investment.  The front-end ordering process has a major impact on customer satisfaction and customers are more likely to come back to restaurants that offer an easy, smooth ordering experience.  Implementing self-ordering kiosks gives customers control over their orders which not only ensures accuracy and improves the customer experience, but also leads to an increase in sales.

Self-ordering kiosks are appearing in more restaurants as major chains such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Subway, and Panera have adopted the technology.  With the use of these kiosks spreading, it is natural for restaurant owners to wonder if this technology is right for their business and if it is worth the investment.  In this guide, we will discuss how implementing self-ordering kiosks can benefit your foodservice business.

Is a Self-Ordering Kiosk Right for My Business?

If your foodservice business involves front-end ordering, then self-ordering kiosks may be a good investment.  You first need to determine where most of the customer traffic occurs.  Implementing self-ordering kiosks makes sense if most of your traffic is in-store.  If most of your traffic is through the drive-thru, self-ordering kiosks may not make much of a difference.

The following types of foodservice businesses that get most of their foot traffic in-store could benefit from self-ordering kiosks:

• Small businesses: It is common for the staff of small business restaurants to handle several different tasks from taking orders and food prep to seating guests. Self-ordering kiosks allow customers to manage their own orders while the staff can focus on other tasks.
• Quick service: Self-ordering kiosks in quick service restaurants allow customers to take their time while ordering and ensure accurate orders.  Customers who use self-ordering kiosks also spend up to 30% more per order on average.
• Full service: Full-service restaurants can put self-order tablets at the tables which allow guests to order and pay as they please.  Guests will get their food quickly after placing their order.

Main Benefits of Self-Ordering Kiosks

No matter what type of foodservice business you operate, you can streamline your operations and improve the customer experience by implementing self-ordering kiosks.  The following are the main benefits of using self-ordering kiosks in your restaurant:

Improved Customer Experience

The majority of restaurant customers prefer self-ordering kiosks because of the convenience and control they have over the ordering process.  They do not experience the pressure of ordering quickly at the front of the line and can instead take their time looking through the menu on an interactive kiosk and making their purchase.  The ordering process is the biggest pain point for customers in front-end ordering restaurants.  Improving this experience with self-ordering kiosks addresses this pain point and make your customers more likely to return.

Self-ordering kiosks help improve the customer experience in the following ways:

• Less wait: The use ofself-ordering kiosks speeds up theordering process which means that your customers will experience shorter wait times when it comes to ordering and receiving their food. 
• Convenience: Customers can take their time placing their order without feeling rushed by a line or cashier taking their order.  They can also pay themselves at the kiosk using multiple forms of payment, and self-ordering kiosks can also allow customers to split the bill.
• Higher order accuracy: Inaccurate orders is another major pain point for customers in front-end ordering restaurants.  Self-ordering kiosks ensure order accuracy as customers can take the time to choose exactly what they want and even modify their orders to suit their preferences.  They can also get the allergen and nutrition information for each item within the kiosk.

Increased Profitability

Implementing self-ordering kiosks has been shown to boost the profitability of restaurants in a number of ways:

• Staff flexibility: With self-ordering kiosks, you do not need to hire as much help for the front counter.  This allows you to hire fewer staff members which saves your business money and utilize your staff to handle other tasks more efficiently.
• Repeat customers: You are more likely to get repeat customers by offering a convenient and efficient ordering process with self-ordering kiosks.
• More people served: The reduced wait times for customers to order and receive their food means that you can serve more customers in a day.
• Bigger checks: Self-ordering kiosks are excellent for upselling as they can encourage people to spend more by displaying popular items and suggesting additional items when they make an order.  Customers are more receptive to this type of upselling than when it is done by a person.  Self-ordering kiosks can increase orders by up to 30% compared to in-person orders.
• Higher tips: Customers who pay on self-ordering kiosks are more likely to leave a bigger tip because they do not feel pressure from the server.

Manage Orders from Anywhere

Self-ordering kiosks are integrated into larger point of sale (POS) systems that connect all the included devices and software through the internet.  Restaurant owners can remotely monitor their kiosks and even use them to help manage inventory, pricing, and specials, and track customer data.  You can also monitor and manage self-ordering kiosks in multiple restaurant locations, no matter where you are.

Improved In-Store Marketing

Effective in-store marketing is important for informing your customers about new menu items, specials, loyalty programs, and more. Many restaurants use point of sale signage and menu boards, and staff members can also market by speaking directly to customers.  Self-ordering kiosks offer an excellent opportunity to improve in-store marketing to your customers.

With self-ordering kiosks, you can put new menu items and special offers on the home screen to get the attention of your customers. Including a place to sign up for loyalty programs within the kiosk can increase the number of customers signing up as they can conveniently enter their information with no pressure from a staff member. 

The other advantage of marketing through self-ordering kiosks is that the marketing message can be updated in real time.  If a special offer or pricing changes, you can make the change within the system instantly to ensure accurate communication.

Collect Customer Data

You can easily collect customer data from every self-ordering kiosk purchase, including names, payment information, and what they ordered.  This allows you to keep a record of repeat customers and upsell or cross-sell items to specific customers based on their order history.  You can also track overall customer behavior to determine general ordering habits and your most popular items.

Improve Automation

Adding more automation to the ordering process in your restaurant allows your staff to focus on high-value tasks such as fulfilling orders and providing good customer service.  Self-ordering kiosks put customers in control of their ordering process and their orders are automatically sent to the kitchen through the POS system.  Restaurant staff can dedicate more time to ensuring the quality of the orders and managing the inventory and facility.

Samsung Ordering Kiosk Powered by Clover from First MCS

Self-ordering kiosks benefit restaurants in many ways including improving the customer experience, boosting revenue, and streamlining operations.  For front-end ordering food service businesses that have a lot of in-store traffic, self-ordering kiosks are absolutely worth the investment.  These devices allow you to improve your ordering process while investing less resources and provide a customer experience that will keep your customers coming back.

At First MCS, we can help foodservice businesses that want to implement self-ordering kiosks.  We are a merchant service provider that offers POS systems and devices, including the Samsung Ordering Kiosk powered by Clover.  This kiosk comes already assembled and only takes about 20 minutes to set up.  It will automatically sync with your Clover POS system and only needs a Flex 2 Terminal to start taking orders.

The following are the main features of the Samsung Ordering Kiosk powered by Clover:

• Intuitive user interface allows customers to browse the menu and modify their order.
• Accepts the same forms of payment as other Clover terminals including debit cards, credit cards, and contactless payments like Apple pay and Samsung pay.
• Can be set on countertops or used with an optional floor stand to put it anywhere in your restaurant.
• 24-inch touchscreen has a shatter-proof safety screen and antimicrobial coating for cleanliness.
• Online portal allows for easy menu management including menu item descriptions, pictures, and modifiers.  You can also turn off categories of items and out of stock items.
• Menu syncs from Clover automatically so you don’t need to learn a new system or enter your menu twice.
• Changing prices and removing items updates in the kiosk in minutes.
• You can set the theme to match the colors of your branding and upload your own content specific to your business.

If you want to get started with self-ordering kiosks for your foodservice business, call First MCS at (866) 673-3099 for more about the Samsung Ordering Kiosk powered by Clover.