Demystifying self-order kiosks with 6 industry experts

McDonalds brought kiosks to the nugget-obsessed masses of the UK back in 2015, and the industry hasn’t looked back since.

Other brands followed suit – from independents to national chains – beginning their hospitality digitisation journey by launching self-serve kiosks and realising the immediate benefits. Shake Shack are the latest brand to share kiosk success, reporting that they are now its most profitable channel.

By using self-order kiosks, these brands are seeing higher revenue, increased footfall; and are able the run more efficiently – bucking current industry trends. With the labour shortage and spiralling costs putting a third of hospitality businesses at risk of collapse, operators can no longer afford to ignore the potential of kiosks.

To help, we have worked with leading experts from digital hospitality pioneers LEON, Tossed and HOP to demystify self-order kiosks and make the journey ahead of you an easier one.

Myth #1: “Customers want a more human experience in hospitality than ordering on a screen”

This is actually two myths in one: firstly, that customers are resistant to kiosks, and secondly that restaurants can’t provide a human experience whilst still employing kiosks.

Luckily, neither are true!

When we surveyed 1000 UK consumers, we found that customers don’t just see kiosks as a nice-to-have: they’re becoming a vital part of the restaurant experience.

Customers love them, and not just because of the tech. A significant aspect of kiosk success is implementing them with the specific intent to retain the hospitality experience guests expect. Operators can absolutely keep the customer journey intact, by embracing the digital-led human experience.

When working with Vietnamese chain HOP on their flagship London Wall location, interior design partner YourStudio made sure this was central in the setup.

Myth #2: “It will be harder to gather customer data”

For some, moving away from face-to-face ordering at the POS represents a move away from data gathering opportunities.

But in fact, kiosks offer a low-friction entry point into your digital brand – helping you capture customer data and build loyalty effortlessly and more effectively.

Introducing digital loyalty schemes rewards you with sign-ups and logins. Asking for an email address to send a receipt is a great opportunity to invite customers to opt in for marketing.

Myth #3: “Our staff are better at upselling than a screen is”

We’re sorry to be blunt, but they aren’t.

Thanks to data-led recommendations, meal deal functionality and the potential of menu engineering with digital, kiosks can upsell better than any human possibly could. They’re just built that way.

We’ve seen brands increase ATV by as much as 35% vs the POS when introducing self-order kiosks.

Myth #4: “We don’t have time to manage tech – haven’t you heard there’s a labour shortage?”

Oh, we know.

When making the leap to tech, it’s important to realise there’s more to it than just ‘doing digital’. It’s about doing digital right. If your tech setup is taking up more time than it’s giving back, it’s not the right one.

With the right setup, kiosks save operators a huge amount of time by automating tasks across the customer journey. This allows operations to run more efficiently and actually experience growth with a leaner team thanks to the labour time it frees up.

Myth #5: “Staff will feel like we’re replacing them – we’re trying to retain workers.”

If staff morale is a worry for you, we’ve got good news.

Kiosks aren’t designed to replace your entire staff, they’re designed to empower them to deliver more valuable hospitality tasks.

By automating the mundane tasks across your operation with tech, the team can enjoy more job satisfaction in the roles they carry out.

Once your team are freed from the anchor of the POS, new possibilities open up that will only improve retention.

Kiosks and your operation

Increased revenue, more customers and happier staff. Can your operation afford to ignore kiosks?

With the Vita Mojo Order Management System, kiosks and other digital ordering channels are just one part of an integrated tech ecosystem. Each part of the operating system brings your operation distinct advantages and benefits at a time you need it most.