News

Shake Shack to introduce cashless kiosks in New York City

October 2, 2017

Shake Shack will introduce its first-ever cashless kiosks at a new restaurant in New York City early this month, according to a press release. Located at 51 Astor Place on the corner of 9th Street and 3rd Avenue, the restaurant will feature kiosk-only ordering, a cashless environment and an optimized kitchen for greater throughput.

Guests will place orders at digital kiosks or on their mobile phones. Employees will be on hand to help customers with the kiosks. The new restaurant will have a similar dining room and waiting area as traditional restaurants.

CEO Randy Garutti said in the press release that many customers still pay with cash in its restaurants, but the company wants to see if removing that option will make the dining experience more seamless.

Custom designed by Shake Shack, the kiosk was developed to allow the restaurant to serve more guests at peak times – whether in-store, for pickup via the Shack app, or even delivery – resulting in fewer lines, less wait time and quicker speed of service. Several kiosks will line the restaurant and team members known as hospitality champs will be stationed around the kiosks to assist guests with their orders and answer questions.  
 
The Shack kiosk replicates the experience of the Shack app with an intuitive touchscreen interface. Guests select their food, place an order and choose to receive an alert via text when their order is ready. The technology offers guests another way to experience Shake Shack – when, where and how they want it.

Earlier this year, Shake Shack launched a mobile ordering app for iOS and Android platforms and introduced the ShackBot, through Facebook Messenger and Twitter DM, to answer guests' most frequently asked questions.
 
Building a business model to support digital innovation, Shake Shack will lead with a starting wage of $15 per hour to continue to be on the forefront of competitive wages and developing the leaders needed for growth.  
 
"The Astor Place Shack will be a playground where we can test and learn the ever-shifting needs of our guests," said Garutti. "We're excited to lead with kiosk-only ordering, putting control of the Shake Shack experience in our guest's hands, and an optimized kitchen with increased capacity for mobile orders and eventual delivery integration to support ongoing digital innovation."

"We're thrilled to be starting our team members at $15 per hour in this location as we continue to take care of our teams first, while we evolve our business model for a big future ahead," he said. "The Astor Place Shack represents our dedication to innovation and to providing the best for our guests and for our teams."