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 »
Posiflex and Lenovo Competition We saw this today – Euroshop 2026: Lenovo Unveils ThinkEdge Gen 2 for Retail: Lenovo’s global leadership team debuted ruggedized edge AI PCs in Düsseldorf, signaling a major move toward bringing real-time intelligence directly to the shop floor. Invidis The Lenovo ThinkEdge Gen 2 portfolio, specifically the SE30n Gen 2 and SE60n Gen 2… Read More »
Independent Analysis for Leaders Deploying Self-Service at Scale Purpose of This Page Kiosk Industry publishes a high volume of research, analysis, and best-practice guidance.Only a small subset is written specifically for C-suite, board, and senior operational leadership. This page collects those materials. These Executive Briefs are: Vendor-neutral Risk-focused Designed for fast executive consumption Built to support investment, governance,… Read More »
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 »
Insight: NCR Isn’t Leaving Hardware — It’s Leaving the Factory When NCR Voyix announced it was transitioning its self-checkout and POS hardware operations to Ennoconn (aka Hon Hai), some industry observers rushed to frame the move as “NCR exiting hardware.” That’s the wrong conclusion. What NCR is really doing is exiting manufacturing ownership — a very different thing… Read More »
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 »
Glory Global Goes For Scale with Acrelec This is not a leadership shuffle—it’s a business model declaration. Glory is now signaling that Acrelec will be its growth engine for unified commerce in foodservice automation. Glory’s push to integrate Acrelec and Flooid reflects a deliberate move to redefine itself from a cash automation vendor to a full-stack retail technology player… Read More »
Recognizing Industry Pioneers and Innovators The Kiosk Industry Group Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose long-term contributions have materially shaped the self-service, kiosk, accessibility, automation, and interactive technology industries. It exists to document and honor sustained impact over time, not short-term success or product cycles. Announcements 2026 Hall Of Fame Inductees Best of 2025 Kiosk Industry Group Awards… Read More »
And The Winners Are LG’s new self-order kiosk offers easy access for all and smart chat features — What stands out about LG’s newest kiosk is how it puts access first. Instead of treating ease of use as something added later, the system uses voice-driven AI so people can speak their choices – browsing options, selecting items, finishing… Read More »
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 »
Predictions from The Industry Group For more than two decades, self-service technology advanced in cycles—touchscreens improved, hardware got cheaper, networks got faster, and operators layered efficiency gains on top of familiar models. That era is ending. 2026 is not about incremental improvement.It is about structural shifts already underway becoming unavoidable. This pillar article outlines where those shifts converge—and… Read More »
What We Saw Going On that was Meaningful Self-service technology in restaurants has moved beyond pilots. AI drive-thru, kiosks, mobile-first ordering, and selective automation are now operational realities—especially in QSR and fast casual. Here’s a short executive brief summarizing what’s actually happening across major brands as we head into 2026. Executive Brief McDonald’s — Rolled out Order Ahead… Read More »
What To Look For in 2026 Interviews Here’s a summary of the article “Restaurant Trends for 2026: Hospitality Reenters the Innovation Cycle” — with a focus on what it says about Acrelec. QSR Magazine 🌟 Big Picture: 2026 Is a Pivot Toward Innovation + Experience The article argues that 2026 will mark a turning point for restaurants: after… Read More »
A look at kiosks, digital signage, lockers and other self-service trends Kiosks, Digital Signage & Unattended Retail Metrics by the Kiosk Association — (TIG and the kiosk association compiles this data for the benefit of is members and supporters. The KMA does not sell the report but provides it on an inform and educate basis.) Self-service technology has… Read More »
Where Kiosks, Digital Signage & Unattended Retail Deliver ROI We are constantly asked. “Where does self-service technology these days benefit the retailer and the customer. Self-service technology has moved far beyond simple ticketing or check-in. In 2025–2026, the strongest growth is coming from multi-modal automation ecosystems — kiosks, digital signage, vending, AI-driven POS, smart lockers, and cloud analytics.… Read More »
Accesso Goes AI Accesso will showcase its AI-powered shopping preview and latest technological innovations at IAAPA Orlando 2025, with advancements featured across its Freedom, Passport, Horizon, and LoQueue platforms. The highlight is a new conversational AI system, allowing guests to place orders for food and retail through natural chat interactions. These updates aim to create a seamless, personalized,… Read More »
24-Hour Vending Machine (6 Days A Week) Noted — Chick-fil-A has launched its first food vending machine at Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, located inside the hospital’s “F entrance.” This marks an innovation in Chick-fil-A’s service delivery, aiming to provide quick, convenient access to its food, particularly in a hospital setting where traditional dining options can… Read More »
NEW! We are releasing data reports and ADA Guidelines See https://industrygroup.org/market-data-for-self-service-kiosks-digital-signage-and-more Excerpt — Research Reports, Data, Regulatory Standards and More 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… Read More »
Case Study of Three Example Restaurants Before and After “Elevating Restaurant Finances: The Transformative Power of Self-Ordering Kiosks,” presents a detailed study on how self-ordering kiosks can dramatically improve financial outcomes for independently owned counter-service restaurants. Editor Note — Nanonation AI offers a “suggestive selling” AI tool that recommends the best combinations based on learning from orders over… Read More »
National Restaurant Association Report 2025 The State of the Restaurant Industry 2025 report by the National Restaurant Association provides a comprehensive outlook on restaurant performance, sales forecasts, workforce developments, technology adoption, and consumer behavior patterns shaping the year ahead. Overview The report is based on surveys from operators and consumers across six key categories—family dining, casual dining, fine dining, quick… Read More »
TIG Analysis – Self-Service “Hooks”, experiments and functions the POS supports The restaurant technology landscape is undergoing a major transformation driven by the rapid evolution of point-of-sale (POS) systems. As the operational hub of modern dining, POS platforms have moved far beyond simple transaction processing to become integrated ecosystems powering every aspect of service delivery, customer engagement, and… Read More »
TIG Analysis – Self-Service “Hooks”, experiments and functions Industry Group Thin Client Retail Systems Accesso Unveils AI-Powered Shopping at IAAPA Orlando 2025 Kiosk Market Research and Data Restaurant Kiosk, AI, Vending and Digital Signage at NRA Posts 2026: 18
AI and Kiosks Article Preview – WIP We don’t usually do this but here is the preliminary outline for our upcoming article AI and Intelligent Kiosks. Comments and suggestions are welcome. [email protected] We have a new columnist coming on board with market research experience and input and interviews are always helpful I. Introduction – The New Intelligence Behind… Read More »
Why Did They Introduce? Fewer Employees? Higher Sales? Updated Feb 2026 — new 2025 McDonalds digital revenue number + reference links + table 1. Why did McDonald’s introduce kiosks? People wonder whether kiosks are meant to replace workers or just improve speed and accuracy. The answer usually highlights customer convenience, higher order accuracy, increased upselling, and the ability… Read More »
Why Custom Kiosk Enclosure Design Matters Understanding kiosk enclosure design — The difference between a kiosk that thrives and one that fails often comes down to design. Expert kiosk designers don’t just design kiosks that work—they design kiosks that delight, inspire confidence, and deliver results. It takes years of trial and error to understand the nuances of kiosk design. … Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Designing Accessibility into Everyday Interactions This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the landmark legislation that transformed public spaces, workplaces and digital platforms in the United States by protecting the rights of people with disabilities. This milestone is ushering in a new generation of B2B technology that is reshaping the way accessibility… Read More »
Extending Accessibility to Kiosks and Online From McDonald’s — Accessible to Everyone – Including Online! At McDonald’s®, we believe it’s important that all our customers feel welcome and comfortable – both in our restaurants and online. That’s why we’ve improved our digital channels and technologies to make them more accessible to everyone. We aim to ensure that everyone… Read More »
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 »
Accessibility From The Start – Designed, Configured and Tested This is the first kiosk designed from the ground up for accessibility. TFA is known for its work with Southwest Airlines and their check-in units. This is the first AI-assist for conversational AI voice kiosk we have seen. Not surprised to see Soundhound in the mix. Starting at $2667. … Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »