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

AI, Connectivity, Robotics And Data Spur Self Service On Multiple Fronts

AI Connectivity Robotics and Data in Self-Service

AI, Connectivity, Robotics In Self-Service It would hardly be an overstatement to say that artificial intelligence computing, in combination with more powerful connectivity, robotics and an explosion of data, has jump-started innovation in most industries. For the self-service industry, the technology has unleashed opportunities to boost customer experiences, oftentimes in a more economical manner. Such advancements have fostered… Read More »

Europe Kiosk News – Advantech Acquires AURES

AURES kiosk Advantech

ADVANTECH Finalizes AURES Acquisition Introducing the “ADVANTECH-AURES” Brand to the Global Market TAIPEI, Taiwan – Oct 4th, 2024 – ADVANTECH (TWSE: 2395), a global leader in AIoT and artificial intelligence, announced today that it has finalized its acquisition on block shares of AURES Technologies SA, a French Company renowned for its POS and KIOSK Brands. On October 1st,… Read More »

Zebra Buys Elotouch

A black Pac-Man shape faces right, appearing to eat two logos: one saying ZEBRA with a zebra head icon, and the other saying ēlo with a macron over the e—symbolizing the recent news that Zebra buys Elo Touch. The background is white.

What Next For the Self-Service Industry? We heard about it last week and noted it on the homepage. Zebra has a knack for this. Think Motorola for example. Rumors were that Crestview wasn’t entirely happy with the results at Elo.  Rumors of the sale were at RetailNOW.  We are sad to see Elotouch, once again, sold off. They… Read More »

CES 2026 to highlight booming tech investment, announces record innovation awards

Kioskindustry Self-Service Kiosk image

Cover photo provided by the Consumer Technology Association. CES 2026 Preview Economic uncertainty hangs across much of the globe, but technology remains on the march. AI spending will continue to rise in 2026, with 68% of CEOs increasing investment, according to Teneo, the CEO advisory firm. Next week’s CES show in Las Vegas (Jan. 6-9) will preview much… Read More »

Steak ’n Shake’s Automation Playbook: How Kiosks and Digital Ordering Rewired a Legacy QSR Brand

steak-n-shake

From Decline to Discipline: Why Steak ’n Shake Turned to Automation For decades, Steak ’n Shake built its reputation on made-to-order burgers, table service, and late-night diners. But by the late 2010s, that model was under severe pressure. Rising labor costs, inconsistent service, shrinking margins, and declining traffic forced leadership to rethink the fundamentals of how orders were… Read More »

Restaurant Self-Service Technology Update – January 25th Edition

SST Restaurant Update

Recent developments in self‑service technology for major restaurant chains Here’s our SST summary (January 25, 2026) focused on meaningful recent developments in self‑service technology for major restaurant chains (kiosks, conversational/voice AI, drive‑thru AI, robotics/automation, computer‑vision, and app/mobile ordering): Key Recent Developments AI & Drive‑Thru Ordering McDonald’s continues expanding AI applications in 2026, integrating AI across operations—improving drive‑thru accuracy and exploring… Read More »

McDonald’s First Job Confessional Kiosk

mcdonalds first job

Using McDonald’s Self-Order Kiosk for Interview? McDonald’s “First Job Confessional” is a reality TV‑inspired, social‑first campaign that turns order kiosks into confessional booths where people share first‑job stories in exchange for McDonald’s gift cards, both on-site and online. Noted on Marketing Dive Why this matters: McDonald’s is quietly showing how a familiar self‑order kiosk can double as a… Read More »

Grubbrr – A Closer Look

grubbrr feature

GRUBBRR is private (Boca Raton, spun out of Sam Zietz’s TouchSuite, which acquired it in late 2018), so everything below is third-party estimate or company-disclosed — no audited numbers exist. Seems to originated and exists still to an extent in that peculiar Samsung, NCR, Toast and Square ecosystem. Software middleware.  Orchestration. Commerce Automation. Big splash was with Samsung… 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 »

Drive Thru Menu Board – Peerless AV Case Study

drive thru menu boards Peerless-AV

Drive Thru Menu Board by Peerless-AV Case Study Contact Rachel Hinds for more information (rachel RHinds@peerless-av.com) Drive Thru Menu Board case study – Ordering coffee at BigFoot Java, a popular coffee chain in the Pacific Northwest, is now even more quick and convenient. ☕ Alongside EcoDigital Media, we created an elevated, digitized drive-thru experience by installing our Outdoor… Read More »

Kiosk Self Order – Clover

kiosk self order

Kiosk Self Order with Ordering Kiosk Every week another case study for a restaurant going self-order hits my desk. While monsters like Chick-Fil-A do a test delivery site and suck all the oxygen out of the media, another small to medium business takes advantage of self-service done right. Hero Boy Sandwich in Georgia Hero Boy Sandwich Co. in… Read More »

Benefits of Restaurant Kiosks by Acrelec Video

A woman in an orange shirt speaks into a microphone. Text reads: The hidden benefits of self-order kiosks and digital signage for restaurants. Acrelec and GLORY company logos appear at the bottom right. The background features a restaurant setting.

The Hidden Benefits of Self-Order Kiosks Nice video by Acrelec covering main benefits of self-order kiosks. Self-order kiosks have become a  familiar sight in restaurants, offering convenience and efficiency to  customers. But beyond the obvious advantages, these kiosks bring several hidden benefits  that can transform operations and elevate the dining experience. Let’s uncover what makes  self-order kiosks a game-changer for restaurants.… Read More »

SoundHound AI and Acrelec Partner

Logos of SoundHound and Acrelec partner, separated by a vertical line, on a solid purple background. Acrelec’s logo includes the text “a GLORY company” underneath.

Next Generation of AI-Powered Drive-Thrus SoundHound AI and Acrelec announced a strategic partnership to bring advanced, voice-enabled drive-thru systems to restaurants worldwide. When we saw the nice Burger King drive-thru demo with Acrelec it was clear that they had gotten it right.  There are competitors to Soundhound for sure (Sodaclick e.g.). Acrelec has some nice videos. Not surprisingly,… Read More »

Self Order Restaurant Kiosk Buyers Guide

QSR Kiosk

The Rise of the Restaurant Kiosk This Restaurant Kiosk Buyer’s Guide will teach you what you need to know when buying kiosks for your restaurant operation. Over the last couple of years, we’ve experienced a significant digital transformation in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry. It has seen the integration of technology into everyday operations. Among the most impactful… Read More »

Stats Smorgasboard – What We See

Stats

Stats – Restaurant, POS, Kiosks, Digital Signage We all like stats and numbers, too. Generally, though, any stats for any market are 95% of the time from India + they are automatically raised 10% from last year’s report + they want $5000 for them.  Generally all the wrong companies are listed, there are very pretty charts and graphs,… Read More »

Kiosk Market Research and Data

Kiosk Market Research TIG in Denver

Takeaway on global kiosk market — A more conservative, “real” estimate from direct industry participants—especially in the U.S.—often puts the true kiosk sector (excluding ATM, vending, and all tangential categories) at closer to $8–15 billion globally for core interactive and self-service kiosks. Below is how we define the core kiosk sector and why third-party numbers often overstate its… Read More »

Toast POS and Self-Order Kiosks in 2026:

toast restaurant kiosk

Integration, Partners and What Restaurants Need to Know If there is one question I get over and over from restaurant operators, integrators, and kiosk manufacturers, it is surprisingly simple: “Can it work with Toast POS?” Five years ago the discussion was mostly about replacing cash registers. Today the conversation is about connecting an entire self-service ecosystem—POS, payment processing,… Read More »

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

Peerless–AV‘s Xtreme Outdoor Digital Menu Boards Contact Rachel Hinds (rachel RHinds@peerless-av.com) 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 Kiosks – Restaurant of the (near) Future

Restaurant of 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 »

Outdoor Kiosk Doubles as an Indoor Kiosk

outdoor kiosk and indoor kiosk

Outdoor Kiosk Solutions Introducing The Boulder Kiosk from Olea: A New Era LOS ANGELES, Calif., April 3, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -– Olea Kiosks®, a visionary provider of self-service kiosk solutions, today announced its latest design, the Boulder Outdoor Kiosk. This new and innovative solution was created to address the growing number of outdoor self-service use cases such as… Read More »

Restaurant Accessibility is Win Win

CDC Disability

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 »

Press Release May – Self Service Kiosk Machine Industry

NRA National Restaurant Show

Self Service Kiosk Machine Industry News May 2024 WESTMINSTER, Colo., May 13, 2024 (APnews and PR Newswire)— This week the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago starts. Booth 5536 (near Square and Toast) will have 6 different demos from the Kiosk Manufacturer Association (KMA). See the Clover POS kiosk integrated with digital menus. Also a Square kiosk with… Read More »

Ingenico Newsletter Payments

ingenico payments kiosk

MWAA 2025, SoftPOS transforming Androids & Palm Vein Cielo interview Newsletter on LinkedIn September 5, 2025< Welcome to the twenty-third edition of The Ingenico Newsletter. Today, we’ll talk about MWAA 2025, SoftPOS transforming Androids & Palm Vein Cielo interview. 📖 Make yourself comfortable to enjoy your reading! 📅 MWAA 2025 – Event Recap MWAA 2025 was an incredible… Read More »

2025 Restaurant Tech Report Canopy

Canopy restaurant report

What Customers Want From QSR Technology and Where Brands Fall Short The 2025 Restaurant Tech Report by Canopy provides a nuanced look at how technology is shaping customer experiences in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) sector, highlighting both benefits and ongoing challenges. Canopy, a provider of remote monitoring and management (RMM) software for connected products, recently released a report… Read More »

Popeyes Kiosks in Travel Center

popeyes kiosk

TravelCenters of America Enhances Dining Experience with Popeyes Kiosks TravelCenters of America (TA) is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Popeyes, aimed at revolutionizing the dining experience for travelers. TA would also like to recognize Tillster for their instrumental role in this initiative, noting the positive feedback from TA Groups on their experience working with the Tillster… Read More »

Best Restaurant POS For Small Restaurants

top three restaurant POS systems

Consensus Recommendations for Feature-Rich and Cost-Effective Restaurant POS We will eliminate the suspense here and let you know off the bat that TOAST and Aloha/NCR/whatever are not on the list. They are in our reading material for sure (thanks for the input Jordan). Usual dollar-driven media rarely cover the small restaurant and the “smallest” restaurant. Not profitable for… Read More »

2026 Strategic Compliance Checklist

strategic compliance checklist

In 2026, compliance is no longer a legal review process—it is a system architecture decision. Organizations deploying kiosks, self-checkout, or unattended retail must now design for accessibility, AI-driven loss prevention, and zero-trust security from day one. This checklist is not theoretical. It reflects what regulators, auditors, and operations teams will actually enforce in production environments. The 2026 compliance… Read More »