fast food kiosks
According to Panera Bread ’ s 2015 second quarter earnings report , digital utilisation efforts reduced order input labour but increased labour hours . Panera ’ s new business model , introduced in 2014 , includes fast lane kiosks for dining in and ordering to go . Under this model , called Panera 2.0 , the company actually added labour hours to meet the demand driven by multiple points of digital access , and to ensure the ability to serve with greater accuracy
5 % of all company sales placed through web , mobile or kiosk , Shaich said he was encouraged by the potential for the 2.0 model . Saladworks , a fresh salad franchise chain that ’ s also revamping its stores , doesn ’ t expect labour hours to decline when installs self-serve kiosks ." Said Pat Sugrue , president and CEO .
“ We didn ’ t do this for labour purposes ; we did it for throughput and also capacity ,” Sugrue explained . “ We ’ re going to have more people making salads . From down ,” adding . “ I think we ’ re going to add hours , but we should be able to increase throughput , and therefore , sales , and our labour percentage could come down .”
The objective of the kiosk is recognising that how you want to be served and how I want to be served can be very different , Sugrue explained . “ Increasingly , millennials and millennialminded people don ’ t necessarily need that interaction with someone . For those who order from the kiosk , that will shorten the queue for those who don ’ t order from the kiosk , and will provide better service to both groups .”
Ultimately , restaurants must meet expectations of all their customers , and 64 % of millennials prefer self-service , according to an MHI
in an environment where about 70 % of orders are customised . “ This extra labour is necessary to drive a better guest experience consistent with operating clarity ,” the earnings report said .
CEO Ron Shaich indicated as early as October 2014 that same-store sales from 2.0 stores outpaced traditional cafes , according to FastCasual . com . With
Global report .
an hours perspective , hours should go up , not down .” Sugrue pointed out that the kiosks could impact labour costs in a positive way for the company .
Changing metrics Sugrue continued , “ If the sales go up faster than the net hours , then our labour as a percentage of sales will come
Long-term impact unknown All this isn ’ t to say that some jobs won ’ t be eliminated . The long-term ramifications of self-order kiosks are hard to determine , given their infancy in the restaurant industry . Although transitioning to kiosks will require companies to continue serving those customers who still prefer a more personal service .
“ During slower times , brands still need the appropriate number of counter staff because the kiosk is a customer service option , not a requirement ,” said Jodi Meryl Wallace , chief marketing officer at Acrelec America – a provider of customer experience technology . The company ’ s European operation has been involved in numerous deployments .
“ There ’ s also the need for front of house team members to assist customers who are new to using the kiosks ,” Wallace added . “ Because of kiosks , brands have begun to offer table service delivery of orders so staff are redirected to this task as well . And because kiosks increase the speed at which orders are taken , brands have found that there ’ s an increased need for back-of-house / kitchen staff during peak periods when kiosks are used .
Wallace went on to discuss how the introduction of kiosks boosts sales . “ Kiosks grow revenue by increasing throughput and by providing consumers with ‘ order privacy ’, which results in customers adding more side items ,
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