Restaurants

California Thai chicken specialist finds niche with self-order

After deploying a self-order kiosk shortly after discontinuing dine-in, The Chicken Hawkers has managed to surpass pre-COVID business.

A customer places an order wearing a finger glove at The Chicken Hawkers.

March 24, 2021 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Deo Suwan thinks self-order will remain popular once COVID subsides.

When COVID-19 forced The Chicken Hawkers to close its indoor dining back in May, co-founder Deo Suwan decided it was a good time to introduce a self-order kiosk, along with takeout and third-party delivery, to the Vacaville, California store.

Fortunately, his POS provider, Clover, included an option to integrate Applova kiosk software.

"It's picking up a lot (more) than before we used the kiosk," Suwan told Kiosk Marketplace in a recent phone interview.

"It's got the image of the food, and is easy for them to pay," he said.

Suwan and his partners — Bua Deva and Lui Kancatta — launched The Chicken Hawkers two years ago mainly as a takeout restaurant after operating a more traditional restaurant with a more extensive menu, Thai Canteen, in Davis.

Limited menu, limited manpower

"The new concept is you don't need a lot of manpower to run the restaurant, with a small menu and easy management," Suwan said. "We want to specialize on one dish, which is Thai chicken and rice."

"The kiosk will reduce contact with face-to-face between customer and employee," he said. In addition, the kiosk, which connects to the internet via Wi-Fi, makes it easy for customers to add to their order, thereby increasing the ticket size.

The customer can pay using a credit card or a mobile phone. Thus far, there have been no complaints about not being able to pay with cash at the kiosk.

Customers, who are required to wear masks when entering the store, can also place orders at the counter if they wish, or if they want to pay with cash. "Some people like to order face-to-face," Suwan said.

There is a hand sanitizer at the kiosk and a finger glove for customers to use before touching the kiosk. The staff cleans the kiosk after every use.

Business improves

Business in the 1,000-square-foot store has improved over pre-COVID, Suwan said. Business was slow at first, but by January, sales began to pick up, and have kept the restaurant's two full-time and one part-time employees busy. The store has since surpassed its pre-COVID sales for the year to date — without any dine-in business.

Once the pandemic subsides, Suwan plans to put in four or five tables to allow dine-in.

Expansion: self-order only

The success with the kiosk encouraged Suwan to open a second restaurant a couple of months ago in Davis, California with self-order and pickup only.

The Davis store, like the Vacaville store, is in a shopping center and is also staffed by two full-time and one part-time worker. While the menu also focuses on Thai chicken and rice, the Davis store has a more limited menu.

Because there is more parking space, Suwan also offers curbside pickup at the Davis store. Customers can alert the staff using the app when they arrive to have the orders delivered to them in the parking area. So far, about 10% of the orders are delivered curbside.

Even without the pandemic, Suwan thinks the customer demand for contactless order and pay will remain strong. Hence, his next step is to open another limited menu store with a self-order kiosk and takeout. He hopes to have a total of five more restaurants in the next five years.

Meanwhile, Suwan has no plans to add a kiosk to his traditional restaurant, Thai Canteen — which seats 50 people and has 25 employees — since it has a complex menu. "It's not simple like the new restaurant," he said. "We were thinking about it, but not at the moment."

"Technology is the future right now and we want to make sure and stay ahead," he said.

For an update on how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the kiosk industry, click here.

Photos courtesy of The Chicken Hawkers.

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