It’s one of the touchstone frustrations of modern American life: chaos at the self-serve kiosk.
It happened to me just the other day at a well-known retailer. You know how it goes: I was only buying a few things, and there was no line at self-checkout. I decided to take the risk, even though I’d been burned so many times before. Of course, everything went wrong immediately. I scanned one bag of grapes and the machine tried to charge me for three. “Here we go again,” I thought, as I pressed the “Help” button.
There is a misperception that consumers love technology. I'd argue that what they really love is convenience. A lot of times, tech can provide convenience. When it does the opposite, it’s incredibly frustrating. And I’m worried that “chaos at the kiosk” could be coming to restaurants.
During the pandemic, restaurants started using more technology. They pretty much had to if they wanted to survive. And as much as tech helped restaurants during widespread lockdowns, it also helped customers. If you wanted to order from your local taco place, it was a lot safer—and easier—to do it online.
Coming out of the worst of the pandemic, that balance has shifted. Restaurants still desperately need technology, but for different reasons. They’re having trouble finding workers. Costs are skyrocketing. Many are turning to things like self-service kiosks, QR codes and robots to help.
At the same time, customers are getting back to dining in-person at restaurants. And while there’s definitely a place for technology in a sit-down context, it’s not absolutely necessary for the guest. At times, it can even get in the way. As you’ve probably heard, not everyone is a fan of QR codes.
Notably, when the Association asked how consumers would like to see restaurants using tech, the most popular response was “to improve customer service.”
Now, just about every operator will argue that technology that cuts costs also helps the customer. With QR codes, you can order and pay at your leisure. With a robot doing the cooking, staff will have more time to take care of you. It makes sense in theory. But not always in practice.
Yesterday, my colleague Heather Lalley dined in at a Panera Bread in Chicago. She ordered from a touchscreen kiosk (she loves them!) without incident. But then things took a turn. She had a hard time finding a clean place to sit. She had an uncomfortable encounter with an employee in the restroom. When she went to pick up her food, another worker, seeming annoyed, told her she’d come to the wrong place, and directed her, inexplicably, to the delivery pickup area. (See Lalley's full account here.)
From my perspective, a lot of the friction in that story is a result of the self-serve kiosk. Rather than creating an easier experience for Lalley and freeing up workers to do other things, like clean tables or direct traffic, the technology did neither. In fact, it seemed to put a barrier between staff and customers. Instead of being treated as a guest, poor Lalley was lumped in with the delivery drivers. It led her to wonder if she’d have been better served at a place with no dining room at all.
Neither Lalley nor I are necessarily blaming the employees in this situation. It’s on their employer to figure out how to better integrate technology and hospitality in its restaurants. It could be a matter of more training or communication. The food, Lalley said, was fine.
It’s important to remember that many customers never asked for any of this. In a survey of 1,000 adults last year, the National Restaurant Association found that more than 50% of them thought restaurants had “just the right amount of technology.” A quarter said there was too little tech in restaurants, while another quarter said there was too much.
Notably, when the Association asked how consumers would like to see restaurants using tech, the most popular response was “to improve customer service.”
I firmly believe technology is an essential tool for restaurants these days. That said, it should never make a customer's experience worse. Just because it’s more efficient for a guest to order from a kiosk doesn’t mean that guest should be left alone—in fact, it should mean the exact opposite.
The end of my own kiosk story is a case in point. After I called for help, an employee came right over. She quickly overrode the system and deleted the extra grapes. She was helpful and didn’t make me feel stupid for the machine’s malfunction. I was back in business and shortly on my way.
Her hospitality made the snafu bearable enough that I’ll probably choose self-checkout again next time.