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Corporate dining and education: expansion opportunities for self-order kiosks
Corporate dining and education directors are showing more interest in the self-service kiosks they are noticing when visiting limited service restaurants.
February 26, 2020 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
As restaurants embrace self-order kiosks at a quickening pace, other foodservice segments also stand to benefit from the technology. Which is why corporate dining and education directors are taking interest in the self-service kiosks they are noticing when visiting limited service restaurants.
Five Star Food Service, a foodservice contractor based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has been getting requests from companies for self-order kiosks in corporate dining environments in the past year, C.J. Recher, the company's vice president of marketing, told Kiosk Marketplace. The company provides manual foodservice, vending and coffee service throughout the Southeast.
"They're seeing it everywhere else," Recher said, referring to places such as McDonald's and Panera Bread that are offering self-order kiosks. "If they (corporate dining directors) are able to give their people (employees) more of their break time back without having to wait in line, that's just an added benefit."
Employers are interested in allowing employees to place orders on kiosks, then get their order at a pickup counter, he said.
"They're looking for additional employee perks and being able to move them through the line quicker and make everything more efficient," Recher said. HIs company, which already provides micro markets, has been looking at self-order kiosks to meet these new requests.
Integration with existing software
Recher believes a self-order kiosk that integrates with an attended cash register would make the most sense for many of the corporate clients his company serves.
While integration with cafeteria POS software can present a challenge to adding a self-service kiosk, Recher noted that the micro market kiosks his company operates already integrate with the cafeteria POS software. The customer places an order verbally at a counter, picks up their tagged order from the attendant at the counter, then pays by scanning the barcode tag at a kiosk.
Ray Friedrich, a former food and refreshment services operator who now works as a consultant, began placing self-order kiosks in corporate dining rooms in 2016 in the Detroit area.
Employees were able to place and pay for orders online or at a kiosk, then pick up their freshly prepared meals at the kitchen counter. The hot, fresh food was prepared in a nearby kitchen before being moved to the serving counter.
After the preparer finished assembling the order, he or she tapped a screen and the order appeared on another screen at a pickup counter.
The self-order kiosk eliminated the need to place orders at the counter, wait in line to get the order, then pay at the cashier, Friedrich said. The automated system reduced employee wait time significantly and allowed orders to process faster.
"It also increases the accuracy of the order because you have it in front of you just as the customer ordered it," Friedrich said. "Consumers love it, the clients love it; it's a labor saver."
Self-service kiosks in corporate dining rooms are increasing in the Detroit market, said Friedrich, whose company, Sterling Advisory Group, is based in Northville, Michigan.
"It's a good time to understand technology in our industry," he said.
Software provider perspective
Juan Perez, CEO of ADUSA Inc., a kiosk software provider, agrees that the corporate dining market is an expansion opportunity for self-order kiosks.
"Certainly there are plenty of opportunities out there," Perez said for corporate dining. "I think it's a great forum for self-ordering, especially where you're talking about technology companies or schools where you have younger and/or technically savvy consumers."
Education locations also offer an opportunity for self-service technology, Perez said.
Perez acknowledged that there are sometimes integration issues for school and university cafeterias. These institutions oftentimes have a system in place that manages meal plans, and the self-order kiosk software needs to integrate seamlessly with that system. The kiosks themselves have to be able to accept (scan or read) the student's ID meal plan card.
"It's not typically an issue," Perez said with regards to software integration, but it depends on the existing system the client location is using. It is analogous to integrating a self-order kiosk with a restaurant's existing POS software.
"There are plenty (of POS systems) that are open to it," he said.
Kiosk manufacturer perspective
Frank Mayer and Associates Inc., which provides self-order kiosks, also views corporate dining and education as growth opportunities.
"Company cafeterias often experience longer lines and higher traffic during peak times of the day," said Dave Loyda, director of strategic initiatives at Frank Mayer and Associates Inc. "Kiosks can assist in preorders, ease of payment, dietary information and preparation of food."
Companies can use off-the-shelf or customized solutions. Off-the-shelf solutions are viable as long as they offer flexibility to accommodate the required hardware components, Loyda said.
"It is certainly possible to leverage an-off-the-shelf solution that offers flexibility to customize depending on specific hardware requirements," Loyda said.
"For example, prepared food items may require a scanner for UPC codes or the ability to scan employee badges," he said. "Some items may require a scale to determine price point based on weight. Maybe the addition of a shelf for food items to be placed during the checkout process for added convenience."
"If a developed solution does not have the flexibility to accommodate all the required components, a custom kiosk would offer a solution to specifically address all the requirements and objectives," he said.
"Standard kiosk solutions can work well in these environments providing a solid footprint, hardware, software and compliant with ADA guidelines," he said. "Standard kiosks also allow for an efficient time of delivery, branding and affordability. However, I would not deter any venue from a custom solution. The process can add to the timeline, however, you may discover cost efficiencies and the made-to-order process a better fit for your needs."
Loyda sees secondary school and/or college cafeterias as an area where self-order kiosks are particularly beneficial.
"College universities face many of the same issues that the QSR/fast casual industry encounter and kiosks can help," he said. "Kiosks can shorten lines and offer convenience for students. Students and faculty are all digitally connected to school accounts and meal plan programs. Kiosk software programs can offer a seamless connection to complete the cycle including online ordering, delivery services, dietary needs, wayfinding and more."
"The engagement is higher on the college universities as the use of kiosks is mainstream and provides a personalized experience and allows for convenience in a time conscious environment," he said.
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About Elliot Maras
Elliot Maras is the editor of Kiosk Marketplace and Vending Times. He brings three decades covering unattended retail and commercial foodservice.
Included In This Story
Frank Mayer and Associates
Kiosk Design | Manufacturer
Frank Mayer Kiosks and Displays specializes in large-scale rollouts of custom digital kiosks for enterprise and growth-oriented brands. With a relentless focus on premium design, customization, and end-to-end service, we manufacture self-service customer engagement solutions that expand market reach, boost sales, and enhance brand equity.
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