Believe it or not, there’s a science to placing your kiosks in the perfect spot for best results.
Kiosks can serve several purposes in a QSR setting: they can reduce wait times and alleviate some of the burden on staff. They can help control the order flow and give tech-savvy customers a better, more personalized experience. And, critically, they can help restaurant operators cope with a worsening labor situation.
We all know that the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in new problems with staffing. But restaurants were perennially short staffed before COVIC-19 struck, and the effects have lingered after the pandemic. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, food service and hospitality have the highest quit rates. And their number of unfilled job openings is also high. By taking over some or much of the ordering process, kiosks allow workers to be used elsewhere, lessening some of the pain of this shortage.
But there’s a caveat: kiosks are only as good as their location. In this article, we’ll discuss why kiosk placement is critical and how you can choose the best spot for kiosks in your restaurants.
The Importance of Proper Kiosk Placement
There’s an obvious answer to why kiosk placement is important: if customers can’t see it, they won’t use it. Also, if it’s not easy to use or accessible to people of various abilities, it won’t be very effective. Thus, you’ll often see kiosks near entrances or in other high-visibility, high-traffic locations.
Customer habits also play a role. It’s common to see kiosks near customer ordering areas for the simple reason that customers will expect to see kiosks where they place their orders. While it might seem space-saving to install a kiosk elsewhere, aligning its placement with your customer’s expectations makes for a more seamless customer experience. In fact, 65% of guests prefer restaurants with kiosks because kiosks are faster and easier to use. And this customer experience gain translates into happier guests and more sales.
There are also some less obvious perks from good kiosk placement. A well-designed kiosk can increase brand awareness and reinforce brand identity and experience. It can capture order and customer data that you can analyze and use to drive various changes. And a well-placed kiosk can actually foster meaningful interactions between customers and employees; as fewer employees are needed to process orders, they can help customers in other ways.
5 Tips for Perfect Kiosk Placement
So, how can you find the best place for one or more kiosks in your restaurant? These tips will help:
Analyze foot traffic flows. Understanding where, why, and how customers move around your restaurant is the first pointer to a good kiosk location. As discussed above, there are excellent reasons many restaurants place kiosks near ordering locations for the best customer experience. It’s also important to make sure there’s enough space around the kiosk for customers to move and for other customers to move around them.
Consider placement in queue lines. We’ve all chosen what we thought was a quick-moving line, only to be stuck waiting behind a picky customer or someone placing an order for their entire office. In such situations, a kiosk within the queue line area can be a welcome remedy to the frustration of waiting. For employees, this can also provide an extra measure of flow control without disrupting other customers.
Understand your dining experience. A kiosk is an extension of your brand and your customer experience. Therefore, it’s important that its placement, functionality, and style match your overall vibe. Combining the knowledge of the kind of dining experience your guests expect with information on peak times and traffic patterns can help you place kiosks in a way that encourages engagement. It can also build satisfaction without interfering with the customer’s connection with your restaurant.
Choose the right design and size. Is it better to get smaller kiosks so you can fit more of them into one area? Or should you opt for a larger, attention-grabbing kiosk? The answer lies at the intersection of your restaurant’s ambiance and your users’ needs. As a rule, larger kiosks are easier for customers to use. And the housing of the kiosk should work with the general look and feel of your restaurant; otherwise, it will be unappealing at best or off-putting at worst.
Enhance visibility and usability. If you put your kiosk flat against a wall, some customers might think it’s a digital ad. If it’s too small, they might overlook it altogether. And if they don’t know what it does, they’ll ignore it. So make it clear via signage that this kiosk accepts orders, and use lights and attractive screen displays to catch customers’ eyes. To enhance usability, you’ll want to ensure that the hardware and software work together smoothly and that everything integrates with the rest of your tech stack. You should also consider the screen angle and height, what language options you might need, and other accessibility questions to ensure the best user experience for all of your customers.
A well-placed kiosk can make a big difference
On average, kiosks increase check size by 10-15 percent – but only if guests use them. If you’re considering deploying kiosks in your restaurants, or if you want to get better results from the kiosks you’ve already deployed, give them a prime location. Make sure the kiosks fit with customer expectations and solve problems for guests and employees alike. And don’t be afraid to draw attention to your kiosks with an attractive design and the appropriate signage.
If you’d like to learn more about kiosks, we’d be glad to help. Check out our kiosk product page to get started.
