News

Schlotzsky's to sink teeth into kiosks

February 21, 2002

AUSTIN, Texas - Schlotzsky's Inc., which operates nearly 700 fast-service, deli-style sandwich shops in 38 states, has outlined plans to add a new item to its menu of services - customer friendly kiosks.

The company, which is based in Austin, Texas, will open its newest location on Nov. 30 at the La Frontera development in the Austin suburb of Round Rock, near the headquarters of Dell Computer Corp. Next month, the company said it would debut a kiosk developed for Schlotzsky's by IBM at the restaurant. The kiosk will be located at the front door of the restaurant and will allow customers to place orders when they first enter.

The restaurant itself is designed as a tech friendly dining center. It will feature a "cyber-deli" counter, with iMac and flat-screen personal computers that customers can access to play games and surf the Internet while dining.

"It's perfect for La Frontera, given the high-tech quotient in Round Rock," Robin Hanna, Schlotzsky's chief information officer, said in a news release. "Engineers and software people like us love to go where the new technologies are. It's a draw, especially a stone's throw from Dell."

Schlotzsky's did not disclose plans for future expansion of its kiosk project.