My Tech Talk Topic: New Restaurant POS Technology!
When it comes to the future of Information Technology and Systems, something that has already been implemented in today's world can be seen in the places we are the most familiar with, the biggest being McDonald's. "Handheld interactive digital menus give customers the chance the order anything they want without feeling self-conscious. And all data can be processed automatically for valuable insight ("DTS, 2021").
​
Kiosks or self-service point of sales systems are the future of restaurants, specifically fast food restaurants. These types of restaurants aren't going anywhere, at least not in our lifetime due to the way society is, especially in America. Consulting firms, like Capgemini, are partnered with McDonald's and are the reason that companies are starting to move towards Kiosks in-store. Next year, I will be working for Capgemini under their McDonald's account, so this topic is not only interesting to me but also relevant as most of the work I will be dealing with will be about the future of restaurant Point of Sales (POS) systems and tech.
​
​
The Arizona Daily Star went ahead and wrote an article talking about the new kiosks used in McDonald's. Most of these stores will have someone there to assist you if you need them, and are really meant for all age ranges. The purpose of these machines is to help the customer have a better, faster experience while also allowing the store to collect valuable information that could end up helping the store out in the future. This change is currently being made in most stores across not only the country but also the world.
For pros and cons regarding this area, there are definitely a lot more pros and cons.
Some Pros are as follows:
- Make Upselling Much Easier with Promo Content on Interactive Menus
- Impress and Entertain Customers with Interactive Table Menus
- Feedback and Customer Survey
- Collect Data and Start Giving Customers More of What They Want
With the possibility of installing drive-thru kiosks to offer faster, safer services. Having these types of systems in a restaurant incentivizes more traffic in your store, which will ultimately lead to more profits. Below is a video from McDonald's Singapore's YouTube channel explaining the new implementation of this type of technology. As you can see, it is a fairly simple change made to your ordering experience, and will only improve with time!
​
​
Arizona Daily Star, 2021
​
Now, McDonald's was one of the first restaurants to implement these kiosks on a scale where it actually changes the way we interact in the store. However, there are some safety issues with the kiosk that some people have addressed. Some are skeptical to give these machines their credit card information, as it is "new" technology. However, McDonald's has addressed this concern by stating that it would be no different from giving your card to a Point of Sales system currently used in most stores. Most of these kiosks also do NOT take cash, so as of now, there will need to be a manned cash register to ensure that if anyone wants to pay with cash, or doesn't want to use the kiosk, they have that option. However, I believe that in the next 5-10 years, most fast-food joints will no longer want to pay for a cashier, and kiosks will replace their jobs. Some may be against this idea, however, the way society is moving, automation seems to be the leading factor in where we will end up. Self-serving kiosks are no exception.
List of References:
1. Arizona Daily Star. “Tucson McDonald's Location Features Self-Order Kiosks.” Arizona Daily Star, 15 Mar. 2019, https://tucson.com/business/tucson-mcdonalds-location-features-self-order-kiosks/article_16da1723-496c-5159-b44f-f7d6db148649.html.
2. McDSG, director. YouTube, YouTube, 2 Jan. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpU3I1SlaQY. Accessed 3 Oct. 2022.
3. “Restaurant Tech: Touch Screen Solutions.” Digital Touch Systems, 30 Sept. 2021, https://digitaltouchsystems.com/industries/restaurant-tech/.