Burger King Kiosk News
With the new rebranding that Burger King is going through it reminded us of our article titled “Quick-service restaurant kiosks: What’s taking so long?” The gist was that although major players like Subway, McDonald’s, Burger King and Arby’s started experimenting with kiosks in 2006, we had yet to see mass adoption in the restaurant space, despite kiosks’ rapid deployments in airports, grocery stores and casinos. In technology terms, it has since been a lifetime. However, kiosks finally seem to be having their moment in the quick-service space. New research from Tillster shows that 25% of restaurant customers have used a self-ordering kiosk at a restaurant within the past three months—up 7% year-over-year. Further, more than 65% of customers said they would visit a restaurant more often if self-service kiosks were offered, and 30% of customers prefer to order from a kiosk versus a cashier if the lines were of equal length.”>cost-cutting expense trimming store closures (400 soon), it was time to update. We do note that they have been updating their drive thru screens and they look nice. Maybe the biggest story with Burger King though is PAR winning the account, and a bunch of companies losing it (example NCR). As of November 7, 2023, there are 6,805 Burger King restaurants in the United States. Globally, Burger King operates and franchises a total of 19,789 restaurants in 97 countries around the world.
From Business Insider Nov 7
- Burger King execs say the chain is planning to speed up the rollout of digital order kiosks.
- “The US is ready for kiosks now,” RBI’s CEO said, following the “tremendous” results of trials.
- Digital kiosks mean restaurants save money on labor and customers typically order more.
- Kobza said Burger King had started piloting kiosks in more company-owned restaurants with “tremendous results.” The “vast majority” of orders in these restaurants were placed using kiosks, he added.
NCR, Micros, Oracle and Olo Lost
Full article on Reforming Retail — here is excerpt
Another of the vanquished is Olo, who is seemingly losing more of these ordering accounts by the month. Many shareholders have expressed their concern that Olo’s online ordering solution is out of TAM, and Burger King isn’t doing that talking point any favors.
NCR is irrelevant so we can ignore them, but this should have been an obvious Micros/Oracle win.
Big account.
Needs a lot of features and support.
International (where Oracle already owns the POS relationship, actually).
Complex.
But it didn’t happen.
In fact, PAR won because they pitched the opposite of a large, establish enterprise: their CEO is known to take calls at 2 AM when a problem arises, and that culture has propagated across PAR.
But that’s extreme ownership, and it may not be super scalable.
And by the way, RBI is more than just Burger King: Popeye’s, Tim Hortons, and Firehouse Subs.
From Pymnts Oct 2023
With quick-service restaurants (QSRs) increasingly rethinking their stores with an emphasis on digital efficiency, Burger King is trying a new kiosk-focused concept that prioritizes off-premise channels.
At a convention with franchisees last week, the chain debuted its “Sizzle” design, which includes digital self-service ordering kiosks in addition to “streamlined” drive-thru and pickup options, CNN Business reported.
“We’re going to lean in where the most of our business comes in, which is the drive-thru,” Tom Curtis, president of Burger King U.S. and Canada said, per the report.
Two such locations are already in operation, with more to come by the end of next year, the report said.
Looking back — Forbes in 2019
In 2010, I wrote an article titled “Quick-service restaurant kiosks: What’s taking so long?” [www.kioskmarketplace.com/articles/quick-service-restaurant-kiosks-whats-taking-so-long/]
The gist was that although major players like Subway, McDonald’s, Burger King and Arby’s started experimenting with kiosks in 2006, we had yet to see mass adoption in the restaurant space, despite kiosks’ rapid deployments in airports, grocery stores and casinos.
In technology terms, it has since been a lifetime. However, kiosks finally seem to have their moment in the quick-service space.
New research from Tillster shows that 25% of restaurant customers have used a self-ordering kiosk at a restaurant within the past three months—up 7% year-over-year. Further, more than 65% of customers said they would visit a restaurant more often if self-service kiosks were offered, and 30% of customers prefer to order from a kiosk versus a cashier if the lines were of equal length.
Kiosk Marketplace
Preview of interview with HMS Host and their BK kiosks to go into airports.
About RBI
Restaurant Brands International is a Canadian-American multinational fast food holding company that owns and operates several well-known restaurant chains, including Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs 12. The company has over 30,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries around the world, with more than $40 billion in annual system-wide sales.
Burger King is a global quick-service hamburger chain known for its food quality and value, with more than 18,700 locations in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories 1. Tim Hortons is one of North America’s largest restaurant chains, operating in the quick service segment, with more than 5,400 system-wide restaurants located in Canada, the United States, and around the world 1. Popeyes is a chicken quick service restaurant with over 3,600 restaurants in the U.S. and around the world, known for its unique New Orleans-style menu featuring spicy chicken, chicken tenders, fried shrimp, and other regional items 1. Firehouse Subs is a restaurant chain with a passion for hearty and flavorful food, heartfelt service, and public safety, with more than 1,200 locations in 46 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, and non-traditional locations.
Click for full size — Restaurant Brands International Stock Price