A truly “free” pickup solution is a myth.
Sure, a shelf might not cost anything upfront, but that doesn’t make it free.
Operators are just trading short-term savings for long-term inefficiencies: higher labor costs, slower service, and missed orders that chip away at their ROI.
It might seem like a quick fix, but in reality, it’s just postponing the investment while the real costs add up in labor, lost orders, and guest satisfaction.
Ignoring the inevitable means paying more later
The industry isn’t waiting. In nearly every segment, we’re seeing:
- Concept stores built around digital-first operations
- Increased spend on integrated, tech-enabled workflows
- Investments in seamless and consistent branded guest experiences
Meanwhile, operators sticking with basic pickup shelves or relying on already over-extended staff are having to patch together fixes—investing in redundant tech and additional labor just to stay afloat.
And after pouring resources into digital ordering, marketing, and kitchen optimization, they’re leaving the final step, the customer handoff, to a low-cost, unsecure shelf.
Why “low-cost” options often create high-cost outcomes
Here’s a simple example.
A restaurant operator is equipping their team with phones. One option is the “free” basic phone that comes with a business plan. The other is a $100 upgrade to a smart device that supports apps, video communication, and integration.
The basic phone seems cheaper—until they realize it creates other costs: employees need laptops, travel more (since there’s no video conferencing), or can’t access shared systems efficiently.
That $100 per line quickly becomes a bigger spend in parallel tools and lost productivity.
The same logic applies to order pickup.
A basic shelf may seem like the thrifty choice, but it often just shifts costs elsewhere: operators need more staff to manage handoffs, more tech to track orders, and more to time address and fix errors.
So, what looks low-cost up front can become operationally expensive in the long run.
Operators are not saving money— just spending it inefficiently.
Let’s look at what “doing nothing” actually costs.
Operators still need to solve for efficient, reliable pickup—whether for guests or third-party delivery providers (3PDs)—and many try to get there with a basic shelf or a labor-heavy process.
But that shortcut leads to hidden costs across three key areas:
Redundant tech spend adds up
To monitor the order handoff process, many operators layer on standalone tools like security cameras, tracking systems, even custom sensors.
But most of these were never built for food pickup, and they often result in fragmented data, added labor, and ongoing monthly expenses.
Apex automated pickup solutions eliminate that need. With built-in order insight monitoring technology and behavioral analytics, operators get actionable insights into who picked up what, when, and how long it sat. No extra hardware required.
One missed pickup can throw off your whole operation
When an order gets picked up by the wrong person, or sits unclaimed for too long, it’s rarely just an isolated mistake. That misstep triggers a chain reaction.
Now the team has to remake the item, other orders get delayed, the kitchen is backed up, and frontline staff are pulled away from higher-value tasks.
What seems like a small hiccup at pickup quickly turns into lost time, added stress, and reduced throughput.
Smart locker solutions eliminate this chaos by creating a clear, secure handoff—ensuring each order goes to the right person at the right time, without needing staff intervention.
Manual pickup wastes labor where it’s needed most
When staff are tied up confirming names, handing off orders, or dealing with 3PDs, that’s time they’re not spending on food prep, quality control, or customer service.
Across multiple locations, those small interactions compound into hours of lost productivity every day. Automated locker solutions streamline the entire handoff process.
No more waiting, guessing, or hovering. Your team can stay focused on what actually drives the business. It’s not about cutting labor. It’s about finally using it where it matters most.
The cost of doing nothing adds up fast
What looks like a minor inefficiency in one location often becomes a system-wide drag.
Hours lost to handoffs. Delays caused by remake orders. Manual oversight that pulls staff away from higher-value work.
These aren’t isolated issues. They compound across every shift, every store, every day.
Smart locker solutions don’t just fix one problem. They optimize the entire order pickup workflow, improving accuracy, efficiency, and the guest experience—all at once.
So, what’s really the more expensive option?
Operators are going to spend the money one way or another.
Should they spend it on workarounds and parallel tech? Or invest in a solution that pays for itself every day?
The bottom line
There are problems in food service order pickup that must be solved, and money will be spent to solve them.
But the real cost isn’t always where operators think it is.
When restaurants trace the ripple effects of “cheap” or “free” solutions, the expense often shows up somewhere else. Usually, in more labor, more tech, more operational drag.
So, the only real question left is:
Do restaurants want to spend that money solving problems, or maintaining them?
Ready to stop pouring resources into cost wasting workarounds—and start solving the problem at its core? We’re ready to help, just click here to ask with an Apex expert.
This post is sponsored by Apex Order Pickup Solutions