Category Archives: A-Restaurant

Restaurant Technology

Restaurants today rely on a variety of technology solutions to enhance their operations and improve guest experiences. The majority these days are cloud-based, which comes with its positives and negatives. Here are some essential types of restaurant technology:

  • Touchscreen Point of Sale (POS) Terminals: Modern POS systems with intuitive interfaces allow efficient order-taking, payment processing, and tracking. Some even have guest-facing screens for a seamless experience
  • Self-Order Kiosks: These interactive kiosks enable guests to place orders directly, reducing wait times and streamlining the ordering process
  • Kitchen Display Screens: These screens display incoming orders in the kitchen, helping chefs manage preparation efficiently and ensuring timely service
  • Printers for Restaurant: Printers are essential for generating order tickets, receipts, and kitchen chits
  • Cash Drawers: Secure storage for cash transactions at the point of sale
  • Integrated Online Ordering Solutions: Seamless integration with online platforms for delivery and takeout orders 1.
    Payroll Solutions: Streamline payroll management for restaurant staff
  • Scheduling Software: Efficiently manage employee schedules and shifts
  • Inventory Management Software: Helps track inventory levels, reduce waste, and optimize stock
  • Reservation Software: Facilitates table reservations and guest management
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Tools to manage customer data, loyalty programs, and feedback
  • Digital Menu Design Tools: Create visually appealing digital menus for guests
  • Online Ordering & Delivery Platforms: Enable online ordering and delivery services

Five Payment Trends 2021 – Appetize

Payment Trends and Insights – Kiosk Industry Writeup by Appetize on the five payment trends to look for in 2021 There’s a silver lining to the unpredictability we experienced last year: 2020 accelerated the growth and advancement of the current payments landscape. In fact, the way operators set up their payment systems now will truly be a testament… Read More »

POS Kiosk POS Terminals

POS Kiosk and Terminal Companies The POS kiosk faces the customer. The POS terminal is generally employee-facing though double-sided is now facing customers.  It is hardware and software. It is transactional but it can also be informational. Consider digital menus and messaging, for example, digital advertising and branding. Simply put — Point-of-sale (POS) systems are all types of… Read More »

Outdoor Menu Boards – Peerless-AV EcoDigital Media (EDM) & Big Foot

Peerless–AV‘s Xtreme Outdoor Digital Menu Boards Contact Rachel Hinds (rachel [email protected]) at Peerless for more info! Peerless-AV‘s Xtreme Outdoor Digital Menu Boards were installed with EDM’s invigorating graphics to excite and engage customers in the BigFoot Java’s drive-thru. The new signage also provides the added benefit of easy maintenance, enabling menu updates to be done within the store.… Read More »

Restaurant Accessibility is Win Win

Restaurant Accessibility Works for Customers and Business Nice point — An important first step for restaurants is to consider the ADA the baseline and the bare minimum, Knackstedt said. It may be a new way of thinking for some operators. But all operators, ultimately, have the same goal: to offer great hospitality to all. Here’s a summary of the key… Read More »

Stingray Kiosk and POS Terminal by Panasonic Connect at Murtec

Panasonic Connect Announces Stingray Kiosk and POS Terminals at Murtec From press release. Also there are pictures and photos from MURTEC 2024 on our Murtec Wrap Newark, N.J. | March 11, 2024 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time  Panasonic Connect North America will showcase its restaurant technology solutions, including its newest Stingray® JS9900 Kiosk Series and JS988 Point-of-Sale (POS) Terminals,… Read More »

LG InfoComm Awards

LG InfoComm Awards Here is LG Link LG BRINGS HOME RECORD-SETTING 15 INFOCOMM 2024 AWARDS FOR PRODUCT INNOVATION Broad range of recognition across product categories and channels underscores LG’s ability to provide customers with impactful real-world solutions  LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.. July 1, 2024 –– LG Business Solutions received a fifteen awards for product innovation at InfoComm 2024, setting a record for… Read More »

Drive Thru Digital Menus Outdoor – Technical Review

Drive Thru Displays Failures McDonalds, Samsung Typically the kiosk association deals with transactional technologies but peripheral technology like drive-thru menu boards fall into the unattended self-order market.  Even digital signage which is broadcasting actionable information to consumers and customers is relevant. Failures of technology are often the best teachers of how to do it right (and what to… Read More »

Analysis – Revel Systems Acquisition by Shift4

Brutal Analysis of Acquisition From Retail Systems Analysis of acquisition of Revel by Shift4 — From Reforming Retail. Excerpt Mistruth #1 Shift4 offers payments and other technology to a range of industries, including restaurants. Its restaurant POS system, SkyTab, is used by operators of many large chains, including Burger King, Applebee’s and Denny’s. Huh? Here’s how Shift4’s communications will… Read More »

Olo Restaurant News – Wisely Acquisition

Exposing Olo Part 3: Dropping 40% of Olo’s Enterprise Value into Wisely From retailsystems — Both McDonalds and Five Guys Burgers and Fries compete on a daily basis to offer the public hamburgers and fries. In 2014, McDonald’s spent more than $988 million on advertising. Five Guys Burgers and Fries, in the same year, spent exactly $0. Continuing… Read More »

Taco Bell Cantina Kiosks in Los Angeles

Taco Bell Cantina Kiosks Design elements marry old Hollywood architecture with Taco Bell’s modern Cantina experience – now open on Hollywood Boulevard Editors Note:  We are pretty sure the actual kiosks (seen in ABC video below) are by Elo. Elo does the NYC cantina.) IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Roll out the purple carpet, as Taco Bell has opened its doors to… Read More »

Swift Kiosk – Cost-Efficient Kiosk Machine

Are You Searching for a Cost-Efficient Kiosk for Self-Ordering with Complete Hardware Integration? Come see the Swift Kiosk at NRA in two weeks. Pyramid – best known for its diverse lineup of Self-Checkout/Self-Serve and Digital Signage solutions – is constantly striving for ‘what’s next’. It’s with that in mind that we are proud to announce our newest development: The POLYTOUCH SWIFT.… Read More »

Restaurant Kiosks – Restaurant of the (near) Future

Full article on NRN May 2021 Technology Solving Restaurant Drive-Thru and Kitchen Modernization After focusing tech investments on off-premise, restaurants will look for solutions to raise convenience and lower cost of labor Highlights Modern Drive-Thru Ordering – dual drive-thru lanes alongside pickup lanes, and perhaps walkup pickup windows. At first glance, the multitude of options that elevate the… Read More »

McDonalds Restaurant Kiosks Deployed in Switzerland

McDonalds Kiosks Andy Hermann • Guest Experience Leader at McDonald’s Bahnhofplatz Zürich | London School of Economics MSc | Andy meets Warhol The newest and most sustainable McDonald’s Restaurant in Switzerland is located in Hendschiken, Aargau. At this location, a real-world experience on new sustainable packaging as well as on other measures prior to the nationwide rollout is… Read More »

Legal News — McDonalds Sued for Improper Use of AI Biometric Data in Drive-Thru

Reported in Retail Automation June 2021 McDonalds AI Drive-Thru Ordering Violates Privacy Laws in Illinois and now headed to Court From EatThisNotThat Jun2021 – Editors Note:  You could see this coming given the test being run in Illinois which has some of the strictest privacy laws. In Brief: McDonalds testing AI-powered drive-thru ordering at 10 restaurants in Illinois Voice Analysis… Read More »

Food Kiosk – Chicken Shack Deploys Order Kiosks

Self-Service Restaurant Kiosks Enhance Customer Experience Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc. and GRUBBRR team with The Chicken Shack on a self-service kiosk solution program for the restaurant chain’s multiple locations. In Brief 22 Locations (west of Mississippi) Line busting the cash register lines major benefit Increased ticket averages per customer Insight Frank Mayer has been expanding its unattended… Read More »

Video – Self-Order Kiosk for Countertop Serving Restaurants

Countertop Kiosk for Restaurant Self-Order Selforder kiosks come in standup, countertop and wall-mount iterations. Frank Mayer countertop video More Information on SelfOrder Kiosks https://www.olea.com/qsr-food-ordering-kiosk/ RESTAURANTS & QSR Product Brief — Self-Order Kiosks by Star Micronics C-Store Kiosks – Self-Ordering Kiosks Deployed at CEFCO Order and Pay Fast Food – McDonalds Self-Order and More PostCounter: 9

Labor Challenges and Restaurants Doubling Down on Kiosks

Navigating Labor Challenges through Virtual Reception and Self-Service Kiosks Tech-driven staffing solutions, including virtual receptions and self-service kiosks, are providing innovative answers to the labor challenges faced by many industries. Learn how these technologies enhance operational efficiency, improve customer satisfaction, and offer cost-effective alternatives to traditional staffing models. Dive into our full article to explore the future of… Read More »

Restaurant Self-Order Kiosks Ole Miss Student Union

Student Union Food Order Kiosks Nice writeup on student union restaurant kiosks. This is another project by Aramark working with Grubhub (using Elo kiosks and Ingenico POS devices.) Here is a summary: New kiosks and screens in the student union: The article reports on the recent installation of ordering kiosks and monitors in the Gertrude C. Ford Ole… Read More »

Clover POS – Restaurant Kiosk ROI – Three Examples

Restaurant Kiosk ROI with Clover POS Restaurant Kiosk ROI review of three different restaurant kiosk deployments and the return on investment numbers (and dollars) including cost savings. For full article and study click here. Summary Self-ordering kiosks in restaurants: This is a white paper that analyzes the financial benefits of using self-ordering kiosks in three different types of… Read More »

Restaurant Drive Thru Headsets – The Human Bean

Restaurant Drive Thru Headsets Case Study Summary When The Human Bean needed a higher quality, cost-effective solution to improve communications at their current and future franchise locations, they turned to Panasonic Connect, the leaders in durability, to help better connect team members with customers – and each other. The Attune HD is the next generation, drive-thru communication system… Read More »