McDonald’s Kiosk – Top Three Questions

Why Did They Introduce? Fewer Employees?  Higher Sales?

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 to free up staff for food prep and table service rather than just taking orders.  Someone like McDonald’s, while appreciating the added features, is actually more interested in higher sales. Follow the money…

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2. Do kiosks replace employees or reduce jobs?

• A very common question, often tied to debates about automation.

• The reality is nuanced: kiosks shift labor rather than eliminate it—McDonald’s still needs people for cooking, cleaning, delivery, and customer service. In many cases, kiosks lead to reassigning staff to “hospitality roles” like bringing food to tables. Increased product sales lead naturally to higher capacity kitchens with more employees + the counter staff moves to concierge role.  And support for new technology.  Net effect is 15% increase across the table. Ideally, 15% greater sales.

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3. How do kiosks affect sales and customer experience?

• Customers and investors alike ask whether kiosks actually boost sales or improve satisfaction.

• McDonald’s has publicly noted that kiosks encourage upsizing and add-ons (fries, drinks, desserts), leading to higher average check sizes. From the customer side, many appreciate the ability to customize orders more easily and avoid waiting in line, though some still prefer human interaction.

• Here is nice summary of what Mcdonald’s did.
• McDonald’s kiosks weren’t built for convenience or speed. They were built to make you spend more money. From 2018 to 2022, their digital revenue jumped from $7B to $28B. Here’s the psychology behind this:Before kiosks, McDonald’s had a problem most restaurants face. Customers knew what they wanted but weren’t ordering it. The missing revenue wasn’t from people leaving. It was from people ordering less than they actually wanted. You’re judged for ordering too much. You feel rushed when there’s a line behind you. You skip extras to avoid looking indecisive.
• But McDonald’s discovered something unexpected about removing this pressure.Kiosks eliminated the social friction completely. No one’s watching. No one’s waiting. You take your time, browse every option, add that extra dessert without hesitation. The behavioral change was immediate and measurable. People started ordering items they previously felt too self-conscious to request. The extra side, the larger size, the dessert they’d normally skip at the counter. But the real genius went deeper than just psychology. Kiosks solve 4 operational pain points that directly impact revenue:
  1. Wait times – Long lines drive customers away during peak hours. Kiosks let multiple people order simultaneously, eliminating bottlenecks at the counter. Fewer frustrated customers means more completed transactions.
  2. Visual ordering – The food photos aren’t random. They’re engineered: steam rising off burgers, condensation on iced coffee, perfectly melted cheese. When customers see what they’re ordering, they choose premium items and add extras.
  3. Automatic upsells – Kiosks never forget to upsell. Add fries? Add dessert? Upgrade for $1? Every single order gets prompted. Every tap equals extra money. A tired cashier might skip this. The kiosk never does.
  4. Instant payments – No waiting for the bill. No fumbling for cash. Customers pay immediately using cards or digital wallets, speeding up checkout and reducing abandoned orders.McDonald’s didn’t just optimize ordering. They redesigned the entire customer decision-making process.

     Make buying effortless, and people naturally spend more.

     Most businesses focus on getting more customers. McDonald’s focused on getting more from each customer by understanding what stopped them from buying.

     Every business has invisible bottlenecks like McDonald’s did. Customers abandon purchases not because they don’t want your product, but because something in your process creates hesitation.

     Finding and removing those barriers requires understanding both psychology and systems.

     At NextLinkLabs.com, we help founders identify decision drag in their software, operations, and customer workflows.

More McDonald’s Kiosk Strategy Articles

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• McDonalds Order kiosks in Rome(Opens in a new browser tab)