At the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, the global restaurant industry ground to a halt. Restaurants everywhere closed their doors as people all over the world stayed at home to keep each other safe. But as normal life started to open back up, self-service became more and more common in restaurant settings.
Restaurant owners and managers wanted to keep their customers coming in without putting them or their staff at risk, and self-service was a great way to ensure social distancing in a restaurant setting.
However, self-service restaurants have been around since well before the pandemic, and they are here to stay as the restaurant industry makes them a permanent fixture.
If you’re interested in changing your restaurant to a self-service format, but you’re not sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place.
This article will explain what you need to get started using a self-service format and how adding a self-service kiosk can enhance the customer experience, increase revenue, and help with staffing issues so your restaurant can focus on the important business of making good food and keeping customers happy.
A self-service restaurant is a restaurant where customers serve themselves. In restaurants that are fully self-service, customers both place orders and collect their food from a pick-up point or food bar without interacting with any members of the restaurant staff.
It’s also possible to combine elements of self-service with table service. For example, customers might place and pay for orders at a self-serve kiosk, but a member of the staff may run the food out to them.
Most eateries with self-service elements are fast-food restaurants, quick-service restaurants (otherwise known as QSRs), or fast-casual restaurants. You’ve probably placed orders on kiosks at places like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Panera, for example.
However, in the fine dining space, you are less likely to find a fully self-service restaurant since table-side service is part of the customer experience for these types of businesses.
Here are the benefits and reasons why restaurant managers may choose to set up self-service functionality at their restaurants.
Self-ordering machines can be a good backup plan in case you’re facing a staff shortage for any reason — perhaps when staff are sick unexpectedly or if you’re having a hard time hiring qualified workers.
If your customers can place and pay for orders themselves and pick up their food from a dispenser area, that means you can keep processing orders even when your front-of-house staff is absent. By connecting your kiosk directly to your kitchen display system (KDS), customers can automatically send their own orders to the back-of-house staff in real time.
This is a great solution for anyone who wants to cut labor costs, too, as you can have fewer people working at any one time without reducing the effectiveness of your team. It’s a win-win.
Installing self-ordering devices in your restaurant could also shorten the wait times for customers, as more customers can place orders at any one time — resulting in less time spent in line.
This is particularly true during busy periods at QSRs and fast-food restaurants — such as the lunchtime rush. Customers can order directly at the kiosk without having to wait for a staffed checkout to free up.
Restaurants can also implement online ordering to ease the takeout process. If you allow customers to view your menu and place an order from their smartphone, their food can be prepared while they’re en route to collect it. Their order can be ready to go as soon as they arrive.
Self-ordering machines can encourage larger customer orders, and that can mean bigger check sizes for you.
Research into customer purchasing patterns suggests that people feel less embarrassed about placing a big order when they’re ordering on a digital device rather than speaking directly with a member of the waitstaff. You can use this to your advantage by taking the opportunity to upsell or cross-sell.
You can set up your self-service machines to suggest add-ons or additional menu items each time someone places an order. Little add-ons like a side of French fries or a couple of extra dips are a good place to start cross-selling menu items.
Adding self-service restaurant kiosks is an excellent way to improve the customer experience and eliminate human error.
Order accuracy is a common problem in restaurants, but putting the customer in charge of their order can reduce miscommunication and improve customer satisfaction. Digital ordering makes it easy for customers to get specific food items prepared exactly the way they want them.
There is, of course, a potential downside to self-service systems in restaurants.
The main drawback to self-service restaurants is the lack of personal touch compared to what a full-service dining experience offers, and some diners want human interaction when they go out to eat.
One easy solution is to choose a hybrid system. You could install a few self-ordering machines but still have staff to run food to tables. Alternatively, you could have staffed tills for people eating in-store and a self-service system just for people ordering takeout.
Another way to use a hybrid system is to install a few self-ordering kiosks for people who want them but keep a couple of staffed registers for technophobes or days when your Wi-Fi service is acting up.
Alternatively, you can have a completely self-service checkout process but staff someone at the front of the house to greet customers and jump in to assist if anyone has questions.
If you have been on the fence about setting up self-service technology because you thought it would be too expensive or require too many gadgets, you will be pleased to learn that it's a simple and affordable setup with the KioskBuddy app (pricing starts at just $50 per month).
KioskBuddy easily integrates with the Square point-of-sale system (POS system). You can even get started right from the Square App Marketplace. From there, all you need is an iPad and a Square Kiosk mount to securely display your tablet and be able to accept credit card payments. If you use a Kitchen Display System (KDS), you will also need a second iPad.
While a receipt printer is optional, it can make the whole process run smoother, especially if you use receipts to put orders in or provide receipts to your customers.
Once the kiosk is set up, you can customize it to fit your needs through the app’s display and behavior settings. For example, customers can include item quantities and special request instructions.
Plus, the app is able to fit into your workflow no matter what level of self-service and human interaction works best for your restaurant business model.
For quick service or fast casual restaurants, customers can choose to place their order “for here” or “to go” with just a touch of a button. You can choose if they will pick up their “for here” orders at the front counter or if a member of your staff will run their order to their table when it’s ready.
For bars or more traditional sit-down restaurants, you can incorporate self-service with KioskBuddy’s Open Tab feature. This allows customers to place their orders right from their table or barstool and keep an open tab so they can add additional items (like desserts, appetizers, or drinks) until they’re ready to close out their check.
Installing some self-service functions in your restaurant can be a fantastic way to ease the ordering process and use tech to your advantage. You can choose to operate as a fully self-service restaurant or just use restaurant kiosks as an additional option to more traditional ordering and checkout processes.
If you’re looking for an effective and affordable self-ordering kiosk for your restaurant, KioskBuddy can help. KioskBuddy provides a quick and easy way to turn a tablet into a self-order kiosk, where customers can both place their orders and pay.
Sign up for KioskBuddy today and enjoy the benefits of self-service.