Restaurant Kiosks are Riding a Pandemic-Induced Wave into 2023

Kiosks are taking over the restaurant industry. 

During the pandemic, the self-service kiosk trend gathered momentum as restaurants looked to expand while offering a safer, more convenient option. Almost three years later, the trend has stuck around, and brands are investing more than ever.  

Notably, McDonald’s started testing self-service kiosks back in 2003 — much earlier than most brands. However, it took a while to prove the effectiveness of the technology, and the brand’s U.S. system didn’t actually implement them systemwide until 2020. Panera was also an early adopter of kiosks in 2014 and has since made them a large part of its digital-only formats. 

Taco Bell was among the brands to jump on the kiosk bandwagon in 2020 and even introduced a kiosk-only location in 2021. The technology is expected to be a big part of the franchise’s goal of reaching a 50% digital sales mix. 

Meanwhile, during Shake Shack’s Q3 earnings call, CFO Katie Fogerty noted that kiosks are the brand’s most profitable channel, yielding higher check sizes, higher margins and better labor utilization. The labor utilization aspect is particularly noteworthy as the industry remains around 500,000 employees short of pre-pandemic numbers. 

In fact, a survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by staffing franchise Express Employment Professionals found that 42% of U.S. companies said employee turnover increased in 2021, costing them an average of $26,511 in lost productivity and recruiting.

Read the full article on Nation’s Restaurant News.