Serving a maximum number of customers in a minimum amount of time, without impacting on the quality of the cuisine or the customer experience. This is one of the challenges that has driven the restaurant industry towards digitalization. Touch-screen kiosks, which have sprung up in a great many establishments, are a perfect illustration of this phenomenon.
McDonald's is an excellent source of inspiration, especially if you're about to launch your own fast-food business, or if you're hesitant about installing such systems. How does the McDonald's kiosk work? Let's take a closer look!
McDonald's order terminal
Do you remember the first time you saw or handled a kiosk? Perhaps it was McDonald's, and no wonder. McDonald's is one of the leaders in terms of restaurant trends and innovation.
Discovering the system
At the crossroads of food service and technology, ordering kiosks have revolutionized the way consumers place their orders. These compact devices can take the form of free-standing or countertop kiosks. In reality, they are interactive electronic devices. The touch screen allows customers to place their orders in complete autonomy. These machines are also equipped with a payment terminal and a scan code system.
Control software
McDonald's order kiosks are equipped with specific software that presents the menus and customization options desired by the chain. Thanks to the combination of this software and the touch screen, diners can navigate through the menu. It's child's play to customize the menu according to their needs and desires. Once they've made their choice, consumers simply pay directly at the kiosk, usually using a bank card, smartphone or other contactless payment method.
Both McDonald's and non-McDonald's touch-screen kiosks are equipped with ordering software. This enables customers to enjoy a smooth, personalized experience, and employees to manage orders more easily. Functionality varies from one software package to another, but they all share a few things in common:
- remote management from the back office,
- custom-designed menus and the ability to modify them in real time,
- add images and photos,
- the characteristics of each dish: ingredients, allergens, origin, etc,
- customization options: cooking meat, deleting an ingredient, vegan, gluten-free, etc.
Positioning and cohabitation with traditional checkouts
In today's fast-food industry, it's common to be greeted by a touch screen, and for good reason: these self-service machines need to be easily accessible to customers. They must therefore be installed close to the entrance.
Touchscreen kiosks will undoubtedly reduce the number of traditional checkouts, but they won't completely erase them from the landscape. Why won't they? Some of your customers will always prefer this method of ordering and payment. You don't want to deprive yourself of customers who value contact or who are uncomfortable with technology.
Installation is generally the responsibility of the company selling the terminal. At Innovorder, we teach you how to master the tool, to make it easier to learn.
The cost of a touch terminal
Now that you know more about the positive impact and operation of order kiosks, what's stopping you from adopting them in your restaurant? Cost, perhaps?
These tools cost between €2,000 plus VAT and €10,000 for the top-of-the-range kiosks. The more functions and integrations into the digital ecosystem(production screen, back office, cash register, etc.), the higher the price. This represents a substantial investment, we agree, but it will quickly pay for itself. In fact, order terminals will enable you to increase your productivity over the long term, while offering an optimized catering service.
Still not sure? It's perfectly possible to rent a touch terminal. You'll be able to test it and measure its impact on your business, and then decide whether or not to introduce it permanently in your establishment.
👉 To find out more: Restaurant kiosks: the guide to choosing the right kiosk
The advantages of the control terminal
It's impossible to talk about the order terminal without quickly mentioning the benefits it offers. Based on our experience, we have identified 9 advantages for restaurateurs and 7 benefits for customers.
For restaurateurs
- Control terminals are a major competitive advantage.
- Order automation frees up staff time to concentrate on higher value-added tasks such as food preparation and customer service.
- Decongesting the restaurant reduces employee stress levels.
- An increase in the average ticket. At Innovorder, we've seen a 25-30% increase in the average basket!
"Before Innovorder, my average basket was around €15 and today it's over €20." Jabrane Bakhoury, co-founder of Double XL
👉 To find out more: How Double XL boosted its team's productivity tenfold
- Smooth communication with the kitchen. Once the order has been entered, the information is transmitted directly, without any intermediary, which saves a considerable amount of time.
- Increasing the number of customers served in the same time slot boosts your restaurant's productivity .
- Customer loyalty thanks to a customized, intuitive and optimized customer experience. What's more, the scan code on the kiosks recognizes customers' loyalty barcodes. Customers simply scan it to be recognized, rewarded and offered products based on their order history.
- Data analysis and management optimization enable you to track sales trends and inventories in real time.
- As this device can be linked to your entire digital ecosystem, you'll be improving the overall management of your business.
"The kiosk frees up one person to serve customers, advise them, or come and help me in the kitchen during rushes. When there are big rushes, it's a lifesaver." Nils Edelman, co-founder of What The Foc ?!
In the long term, all this translates into an increase in your sales. It also has an impact on the quality of your employees' work, and therefore on staff turnover. That's the return on investment you've been waiting for!
👉 To find out more: How to increase restaurant sales?
For customers
- Tailor-made customer experience thanks to order customization (additional options, side dishes, sauces, portion sizes).
- Clear, detailed menu presentation. Diners can discover all the products you offer, as well as new products and current promotions, and make an informed choice according to their tastes and any dietary restrictions they may have.
- The intuitive, attractive interface makes navigation easy, enabling customers to quickly find what they're looking for.
"80% of my customers pay via the terminal." Albert Fitoussi, founder of Alfi
👉 To find out more: How Alfi increased its average shopping basket by 28%.
- The possibility of taking control of your order and having the time to browse the entire menu without any pressure, so you can make your choice with complete peace of mind.
- Inclusivity. The control terminals can be used by people who are hard of hearing or have difficulty expressing themselves orally.
- Reduced waiting time. No more long queues at the counter! Customers place their order and pay in just a few clicks, then collect their food as soon as it's ready. Order-taking is much smoother, even in busy periods.
- The certainty of getting exactly what they ordered. The kiosk reduces the risk of miscommunication between employee and customer, or errors made when entering the order.
The result is a marked improvement in the customer experience. And a satisfied customer is a returning customer who will promote your establishment by leaving you a positive review online or through word-of-mouth. The result? You'll increase your footfall and your sales.
Now you know everything there is to know about the McDonald's order terminal.
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Has this success story inspired you to install this type of device in your restaurant? Contact an Innovorder expert to install a kiosk in your restaurant!
