How to Choose a Restaurant Self-Ordering Kiosk for QSR

Restaurant self-ordering kiosks have become ubiquitous across quick service restaurants (QSRs) and fast food restaurants alike. They help restaurants serve customers quickly during a time of historic lines and labor shortages. They also come at a time when consumers increasingly have a “do it yourself” mentality when it comes to shopping and ordering. 

There are many options and form factors for QSRs to choose from, however. From large displays to smaller tablet-based solutions. For large enterprise QSRs, choosing the right options for your locations is essential. Here are the features and components to consider when choosing a self-ordering kiosk for restaurants. 

Enterprise-level managed services for QSR kiosks

Setting up and maintaining kiosks across hundreds or thousands of locations isn’t something most QSRs and fast food restaurants want to handle internally. Therefore, it’s important to find a managed services provider that can ensure your installation and deployment run smoothly. 

Services to be on the lookout for include analytics, device status monitoring, onboarding and customer support, and kitting, provisioning and logistics. 

Self-ordering kiosk display size

Depending on the type of experience you are trying to achieve, you may choose either a larger or smaller screen size. Larger displays are more obvious to customers looking for the self-ordering kiosks. However,  they take up a larger amount of floor space and are often quite expensive. 

Smaller displays offer a more private ordering experience and can be less expensive to set up and maintain. You can also fit a greater number of smaller displays in one place, providing a fleet of QSR kiosks to serve a greater number of customers at once. With a fleet, you can reduce lines during peak hours and offset the effect of labor shortages. 

Software for QSR kiosks

Ordering software is an important part of the restaurant self-ordering kiosk experience. It can make your experience streamlined and intuitive or lengthy and confusing. It can also be leveraged to increase order sizes and boost loyalty sign-ups. Some self-ordering kiosk software integrates with hardware, whereas other software programs are designed exclusively for certain kiosks. 

Operating systems for restaurant self-order kiosks

The operating system of your self-order kiosk will impact your tech stack, the customer experience, and the security of your devices. Choosing a solution that is compatible with your current systems might be a key priority depending on your business needs. 

Kiosks built on iOS/iPadOS can benefit from the long lifespan and security of iOS devices like Apple’s iPad. However, devices built on Windows and Android can also have advantages. To learn more about choosing the right platform, read our Guide to Choosing the Right Platform for Self-Service Kiosks.

Scanning and peripherals for QSR kiosks

Self-ordering kiosks for restaurants can be compatible with or include a range of features, including payment types, printers, and scanners. Choosing a restaurant self-ordering kiosk that is compatible with leading payment providers and printers and that supports USB-C will help future-proof your solution. 

Scanning is another feature to consider for your solution. With a scanner, customers can scan their items, a loyalty card, their smartphone, or even a driver’s license. This makes signing up, checking out, and entering loyalty information much faster and more user-friendly than manually typing information. 

Aila’s restaurant self-ordering kiosk

The Interactive Kiosk for QSR is engineered for large-scale deployments across hundreds or thousands of locations. With enterprise-ready features and services, the Interactive Kiosk reduces lines, offsets labor shortages, and increases the customer experience for the world’s top brands. 

Get the Restaurant/QSR solution sheet to learn more: