Why restaurant self-service kiosks can actually result in customers ordering less food
SalonWhen restaurant customers order from a self-service kiosk while a line forms behind them, they feel rushed, prompting them to buy less and stick to familiar items instead of browsing for something new, according to a recent study we published. We found that businesses can reduce this pressure and increase satisfaction by revamping their system so that a single line of waiting customers leads to multiple kiosks. This ultimately gives customers more control over ordering, but an unintended consequence of this has seemed to be that it also makes them feel more responsibility for keeping the line that forms behind them moving, leading to rushed orders. But we also found that retailers can mitigate this in one of two ways: by creating a single line serving several kiosks or by showing a pop-up message on the kiosk interface stating that the business takes full responsibility for any service delays during menu orders.