The kiosk-boom: a secret weapon for restaurant owners?

Self-service kiosks are no longer limited to airport check-ins or ATMs. Even though these sophisticated beasts were already altering customer behavior rapidly, two significant factors turbocharged their conquest of restaurants.

Before COVID-19 altered our lives, self-ordering kiosks were generally regarded as expensive and impersonal solutions, primarily at major chains, airports, and banks, but rarely, if at all, in restaurants. Today, self-service technologies (SSTs) shine in a much different light, with countless benefits for businesses running restaurants and offering food and other related services for their guests.

Customer acceptance of SSTs was tested for many years, but their genuine social acceptance was influenced by two significant factors: millennials and the pandemic.

Millennials run the world…

Despite popular belief, millennials are great at social interaction, albeit mainly in the virtual world. Numbers corroborate their desire for self-efficacy when it comes to ordering food:

• 91% used SSTs already in restaurants or other businesses related to food delivery and takeout,
• 20% straight up dislikes interacting with cashiers, restaurant personnel, and staff, and prefers an online ordering system or a mobile ordering app,
• and only 37% of them are likely to ask for or need support while using such technology in restaurants.

Their need for instant gratification and demand for interactive devices undoubtedly accelerated the popularity of kiosks and turned the way restaurant owners should approach their ordering process upside down.

…but Covid-19 changed it

The current pandemic expanded our vocabularies with phrases such as contactless, social distancing, and limited duration of stay.

Because of these new health and safety measurements, food delivery and takeout gained prominence, giving dark kitchens and cloud restaurants the ability to become popular. But what about a restaurant that still wants to focus on customers who prefer to place orders on-site?

With kiosks, it's just a matter of minutes to decrease face-to-face contact and avoid a long waiting line, providing additional worker and customer safety. Moreover, self-ordering kiosks can offer a comprehensive solution for restaurants that still prefer their customers placing their orders on-site or struggling to maintain sales with these restrictions.

Customers already prefer an online ordering system

Millennials as customers were already a catalyst for change, and many impacts of COVID-19 were on course to happen; the pandemic just put the pedal to the floor.

A modern and successful restaurant or food ordering experience already includes a branded mobile app or third-party apps, supported by an ordering webpage, facilitating the ordering process and enhancing customer loyalty and revenue. Still, self-service kiosks open a whole set of new possibilities for many restaurants within their online ordering system.

Reduced business costs and improved employee satisfaction

With kiosks in place, the dedicated team of your food and beverage business can concentrate on tasks essential to the restaurant's core operations and the services you offer to your guests.

It will lighten the load significantly on your staff: they can ditch the dullest, most mundane tasks and devote their expertise in areas they are more beneficial in, making them feel more accomplished and happier while reducing your business costs or long lines forming in front of your restaurant.

Both your staff and customers can reduce the time spent waiting on other elements of an ordering process to be completed: kiosks will allow them to place orders or complete any request hassle-free.

Improved business efficiency

Kiosks are virtual employees around-the-clock: they don't go on breaks, vacation, or sick leave; instead, they are consistent service providers delivering an excellent user experience in any store or restaurant.

Like your mobile ordering app and website, they are connected to your POS system. As a result, their maintenance is minimal and can be carried out easily and conveniently by your provider via remote access.

Your menu, restaurant, and customer can become international

In the European Union, expats account for 6.6% of the population – meaning 12.8 million people are switching EU countries and 20.5 million are moving to the EU. Not all of them master the language of their new home, which can prove a challenge in understanding every element of a menu or placing orders, even when online ordering is possible.

Thankfully, kiosk interfaces - including your menu - can be installed in multiple languages, making the online ordering process and checkout a lot easier for both the personnel and customers while improving the target audience of your restaurant.

Improved online and offline marketing results

Kiosks are a potent convincing force for restaurants willing to jump into online ordering: the interface will push any deal, promotion, package, discounts, and other enticing offers, helping your bottom line and enhancing customer loyalty.

They are the best solution to grow revenue through convenient technology, allowing you to spend less time waiting for customer data and designing campaigns for improved loyalty. With the help of a kiosk, you can easily attract customers directly from the street.

Real-time updates in a matter of seconds

Would you like to offer a flash sale? Have you maybe changed your menu? Thanks to user-friendly technology, you can introduce any changes or status updates in real-time from the convenience of your office or home.

The ability to create and customize your loyalty program in less time or redesign your whole platform in minutes will make running your business more convenient and your restaurant more successful than ever.

Improved analytics

In today's business climate, information about your customer and services is vital. Collecting data about customer behavior has never been easier: a kiosk will collect the necessary data about your customers and analyze trends and habits, allowing you to advertise more effectively while improving your sales the buying experience and generating more loyalty.

Whether it is through your mobile app, online ordering webpage, or kiosk, you can access a whole set of analytics from your phone or website and tailor the services of your restaurant to better cater to the needs of any customer.

Another aspect is the analysis of the different fulfillment methods and ordering habits: do your customers prefer to be present in your store during the ordering process? The weather is excellent, and delivery requests dropped? Are your guests switching from ordering from your website to your branded app? No worries, the analytics will guide you every step of the way, so there will be no requests unanswered or customers dissatisfied.

The elephant in the room

Let's address the most pressing question: how much does it cost to introduce kiosks in your business?

From small kiosks stationed on top of a counter to ceiling-mounted double-sided ones, we can cater to the needs of every type of business model. Their total cost of ownership ranges from 5€/day to 10€/day over a 4-year term, which includes both the hardware and the software interface.

They are a turnkey solution to the services you offer: they come with the necessary software installed and require minimal maintenance (even if they do, it can be carried out remotely). The interface is built to match your business' look and feel too.

Just think for a second — by introducing a kiosk, you will:

• Improve your sales revenue and your restaurant's online ordering experience,
• Decrease costs on marketing and access analytics for free from your user-friendly site,
• Boost business efficiency and engage efficiently with your repeat customers,
• Enhance employee satisfaction,
• Recruit new customers,
• Maintain repeat customers base and enhance loyalty,
• And enjoy dealing with other priorities in your restaurant and making your customers happy.

Thanks to these benefits, you will be able to pay for your addition within no time, meaning the remaining cost benefits will be funneled into your business' coffers.

The EasyOrder ecosystem

The EasyOrder online ordering ecosystem is available for any type of restaurant. Our customers can benefit from a complete online ordering system consisting of a mobile ordering app, a website, and a self-service kiosk.

Our solution will ensure that any restaurant owner will outpace the competition and improve their restaurant's online ordering system to accept customer orders directly.

An app for your restaurant will put your business where it belongs: right in your customers' pockets.

Your online ordering website will ensure a pleasant experience for your more traditional customers who might not be keen on using their phone or an app to place orders.

And your kiosk will spice and lighten up your restaurant and improve customer satisfaction and the process of ordering food.

Start selling more today

Book a free demo or contact us today to learn more about the various available kiosk and food and beverage order app options to help your ordering system thrive. With EasyOrder, you don't have to spend a penny on commission fees - you only pay a monthly subscription fee that includes free marketing and promotional materials reflecting your brand identity and taking your online ordering services to the next level!