Restaurant Technology
Restaurant Kiosk vs Counter Ordering
At the counter, a self-order kiosk lets guests build their own order on a screen, while counter ordering puts a member of staff between the guest and the kitchen. Kiosks suit long menus with many options and busy peaks; a person at the till suits regulars, questions and guests who would rather talk. Most venues that add a kiosk keep the till open beside it.
How each one works
| Self-order kiosk | Counter ordering | |
|---|---|---|
| Who enters the order | The guest | A member of staff |
| Options and extras | Shown every time, on screen | Depend on staff asking |
| Questions and allergies | Only what the menu says | A conversation |
| At a rush | Several guests order at once | One guest at a time per till |
| Payment | Card on screen, or at the till | At the till |
| Upkeep | A clean, charged, locked screen | A trained person |
Where a kiosk helps
- Long menus with sizes, sauces and extras: the screen asks every question, so nothing is forgotten.
- Guests who want time to read without someone waiting for them.
- Peaks: two or three screens take orders side by side while staff make the food.
- Guests who speak another language, if the kiosk menu can switch language.
Where the counter wins
- Regulars who say "the usual" and are done in seconds.
- Allergy questions and anything the menu does not answer.
- Guests who find screens hard to use, cannot reach them, or simply prefer a person.
- Small venues where one till is never the bottleneck.
Before you add a kiosk
- Get the menu right: clear names, photos where they help, every option and allergen filled in.
- Decide how kiosk guests pay — on screen by card, or at the till — and tell them on the start screen.
- Lock the tablet to the kiosk so guests cannot open other apps.
- Place it where the queue does not block the door, at a height people can reach, away from glare.
- Check the accessibility rules that apply to self-service screens where you trade.
- Keep the till open, and tell staff to help anyone who is stuck.
One menu, not two
The most common problem with adding a kiosk is a second menu: the kiosk says a dish is available that the till already knows has run out, or shows last month's price. Whatever you choose, the kiosk, the till and any QR codes should read from the same menu, and their orders should land in the same kitchen queue.
The kitchen side of this is covered in how to set up a kitchen display system.
A kiosk with Thmenu
With Thmenu any tablet can be the kiosk: register the device in the panel, open its kiosk link full-screen, and guests order from the same live menu your QR codes show, so prices and sold-out items match. Kiosk orders go to the kitchen screen as pickup orders. Guests pay at the counter. Where card payments are set up for your venue, a guest who pays first scans a code on the kiosk screen and pays for that order by card on their own phone, so nobody types card details into the shared tablet. After a short idle time the kiosk returns to its start screen. Thmenu cannot lock the tablet by itself, so pin the kiosk with Guided Access on an iPad or app pinning on Android.