HoReCa, that is the combination of the hotel and food service industries, very often focuses on innovative solutions and developments, aimed not only at streamlining operations but also at increasing profits. One of them is undoubtedly a digital kiosk. The list of its advantages is extremely long.
How restaurants and other catering facilities operate today
Restaurants, cafés and other catering facilities still operate mainly offline – most of the operations are to be performed at the place. Any facility serving food or providing food-related services must attract customers in order to stay on the market. One solution is to create a unique atmosphere that guests can find in a restaurant or café, and to establish an individual style that seems unique.
Undoubtedly, we should mention technological solutions regarding combining both of these elements – the difficulty of transferring the activity of gastronomic facilities and their services to the network with the need to create individual style and atmosphere. In recent years, digital kiosks have become increasingly popular. What is a digital kiosk? It is a device that not only provides customers with the ability to quickly place an order and choose the most suitable dishes or meals, but also gives the owners of the establishment the opportunity to manage received orders more efficiently and smoothly.
A digital kiosk, a modern and innovative solution
From a practical point of view, a digital kiosk is a device equipped with a touch screen, which allows the customers to browse the menu and place an order for a meal of their choice. It does not always have to take the form of a large, vertical screen – in the case of smaller premises, a tablet or iPad with an order placement application installed is sufficient for this purpose. In the case of larger facilities, as well as those located in crowded shopping malls or city centers, it is necessary to apply more customised solutions, giving customers the possibility to place an order smoothly and seamlessly.
When approaching the touch screen of a digital kiosk, the customer is presented with a full list of available meals, together with information about their ingredients, price or other additional data (gluten content, weight, etc.). However, this is not the end of the list of advantages offered by this solution – the screen may also display information about special offers or discounts, as well as promotional campaigns offered by the establishment. In the vast majority of cases, the kiosk has the ability to implement many of the most popular payment methods, such as a payment card, BLIK or a debit card.) It also enables integration with the kitchen scheduling system and fiscal devices.
Benefits of using a digital kiosk in a restaurant
The main advantage of this solution is its extraordinary “throughput”, i.e. the ability to remotely serve a very large number of customers. This device is used primarily by establishments and catering facilities located in strategic points, such as airports, shopping malls, train stations, city centers or districts and streets often visited by tourists. Moreover, the functionality of a digital kiosk is also used by facilities that expect the largest number of customers every day at specific times of the day, such as mornings or afternoons. With this in mind, the possibility of moving the process of ordering food to a touch device becomes an invaluable advantage for restaurants or cafés.
As a result, more and more catering establishments are faced with a difficult choice between overstaffing in order to serve their customers during peak hours (resulting with higher expenses) or taking a risk and sacrificing staff shortages for the implementation of a technological solution. By using a digital kiosk, these facilities can direct more employees to other tasks, such as assisting in the kitchen or managing available orders, while the process of selecting the meals by customers is left to technology. This is sufficient to strongly believe that a digital kiosk will be used in practically every restaurant or cafe.
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