Module 03 · Ordering
A self-service kiosk so the queue keeps moving at peak
The kiosk is a self-service terminal on site: the same menu, the same options and the same loyalty as phone ordering. The guest keys in the order themselves while the bar focuses on serving.
Who it is for
For canteens, fast-moving cafés and festival counters where a lot of people arrive at once and the length of the queue decides whether anyone joins it at all. It's also a good answer for guests who don't want to install an app just for a coffee.
How it works
The terminal stands next to the counter
The kiosk runs the same menu as the app: photo, description, allergens, nutrition values and options. There's no separate content to maintain, because it works from the same backoffice.
The guest builds the order themselves
They go through the items, pick the options, and get an add-on suggestion based on what's in the cart. What's an upsell in the app is an upsell here too — except here nobody forgets to offer it.
The order goes to the monitor
A submitted order arrives as an itemised ticket on the on-site order monitor, in the same queue as the phone orders. If the guest orders with their own account, status changes also go out as push and email.
What you get out of it
One more order-taking point
The kiosk doesn't replace the staff, it opens a parallel lane for taking orders. At peak that's what holds the queue back, without an extra person per shift. While one guest orders at the terminal, the next round is already being made at the bar.
Loyalty counts at the terminal too
A kiosk order belongs to the guest's programme as well: it counts towards their tier and their rewards. They don't drop out of the loyalty programme just because they didn't order from their phone.
Fewer misheard orders
In a noisy room, spoken orders are the source of errors. At the terminal the guest picks the options themselves, and the kitchen gets exactly the same itemised ticket as with phone ordering.
One menu, two surfaces
Price sync and the availability toggle hit the kiosk and the app at the same time. What you switch off disappears in both places, so there's no separate kiosk menu to look after.
More detail
- Price sync from the POS software
- VAT invoice data capture
- Pre-ordering
Frequently asked questions
What hardware does it need?
The kiosk runs as a self-service terminal on site, and the system brings the menu and the loyalty with it. How many terminals you need and where they go is something we work out in the assessment, based on your floor plan, your till and your peak-hour traffic.
How does the guest pay at the terminal?
The kiosk brings the menu and the loyalty with it; whether payment happens with topped-up credit, on a card terminal or at the counter depends on your on-site setup and your till. We clarify that in the assessment, before any setup work.
Does it replace staff?
No — it takes part of the order taking off them so there's time for serving and for the floor. Every order still shows up in one queue on the monitor, wherever it came from, so there aren't two processes to keep in mind. Staff training is part of the go-live week.
What if something runs out mid-day?
The availability toggle lives in the backoffice: what you switch off disappears from the kiosk and the app at the same moment. Nobody has to walk over to the terminal with a sticker.
Where does your counter jam up?
In the assessment we go through your peak-hour traffic and work out together where a self-service terminal helps the most.