Fast food getting even faster

Peter Hall
September 13, 2012
The Courier-Mail

FAST food outlets are rolling out self-service registers and mobile ordering apps to speed up service and boost turnover.

KFC has just installed touch-screen “kiosks” – already popular in Europe – at two of its busy Queensland outlets, the BP Caboolture North and South stores off the Bruce Highway.

McDonald’s says it has moved on from the self-service tills and is preparing to unveil an app that will allow people to order and pay by phone.

John Hands, chief supply and information officer of KFC’s parent company Collins Foods Ltd, said kiosks had been installed at several Queensland stores, including Caboolture, Moranbah, Mount Isa and Emerald.

About a third of registers at some stores are now self-service, allowing customers to tap in what they want, with the order instantly appearing on a “packing screen” out the back. As diners paid by swiping key cards, meals were assembled and promptly handed to them.

Mr Hands said it was “a good thing for customers” and gave them speedier service during busy times.

“There will be no impact on staff. If we get this right, we will be serving more people, so staff will be busy packing orders,” he said. “This is about speed of service and a better experience for customers.

“It is too early to tell how well they (kiosks) will be received, but we are quite optimistic.”

Queensland is the only state installing the kiosks at present.

A spokeswoman for McDonald’s said the company had similar kiosks at Harbour Town on the Gold Coast, Sydney Airport and Bourke St in Melbourne, but would remove them over the next few months.

This was not because they had been unsuccessful, but because the focus had shifted to mobile ordering.

“We have conducted a test in Wollongong, which has become a bigger pilot. We are now looking at launching an app in November,” she said.

KFC has rolled out 7000 of the self-service tills in Europe, following the trend set by supermarkets.