Last Updated on October 21, 2025 by Craig Allen Keefner
Kiosks Have a Problem
2015 and Fortune — McDonald’s introduced digital self-service kiosks as part of its “Create Your Taste” platform in hopes of boosting sales and allowing customers to better customize their meals. However, these kiosks only serve in-restaurant customers, who account for just 30% of McDonald’s sales, since most customers use the drive-thru where kiosks are not available. Installation costs for franchisees are high, estimated between $120,000 and $160,000, which has raised concerns about their actual benefit. Some experts, including a former franchisee, believe the move is more for appealing to investors than providing practical value for most restaurant operators.
It’s useless to 70% of restaurant visitors.
Source: fortune.com
McDonald’s doesn’t have much of a history of innovation, but it did for stunts. so he might be right. and there are many locations where the drive thru traffic is nil.
And maybe that is the point. 70% of your revenue comes from the drive-thru. Can you increase that, or is there an opportunity to increase the in-store sales? Maybe you can make it easier to get food inside (via kiosk terminals).
The writer achieved their aim, though, and got me to click on it. Probably that was the intended outcome the entire time.