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McDonald's Corp. has eliminated the middleman standing between fast-food lovers and their burgers, with an advanced test of technology that promises to shorten lines and give consumers more control over ordering.
Outside Chicago in St. Charles, Ill., longtime McDonald's franchisee John Lardas has reconfigured his restaurant, replacing three ordering stations manned by employees at the front counter with one traditional station and four stand-alone computers, or kiosks.
"You see no lines because people are spreading themselves out," said Lardas, who estimates that 70% of customers now opt to use the technology.
McDonald's, which recently admitted its service problems and vowed to fix them, is ironing the kinks out of technology that some believe will transform fast food the way similar systems have revolutionized bank transactions and airport check-ins.
Each kiosk allows a customer to place an order directly with the kitchen, using a touch screen with pictures of food, English or Spanish text and verbal prompts.
Have a Big Mac the regular way with special sauce; customize it without cheese or pickles.
"Order accuracy is a common complaint in the fast-food industry — people getting the wrong order or with something missing," said Robert Sandelman, an industry consultant in Orange County. The issue remains a top consumer concern in his firm's yearly industry survey, along with food taste and restaurant cleanliness.
That's partly because staffing restaurants with well-trained employees willing to work for low wages remains an increasing challenge for fast-food operators, which run on tight margins and have seen the price of commodities like beef move steadily higher.
Once perfected, the technology probably will lead to shorter wait times, labor cost savings and higher average purchases, analysts said.
"It's about time and lines," said Harry Balzer, vice president with food market research firm NPD Group Inc. "We are looking for the easiest way to feed ourselves."
Five McDonald's restaurants in the Denver area are operating self-ordering kiosks. An earlier phase of the test included stores in Raleigh, N.C. McDonald's is testing similar systems overseas in France, Australia and Japan.
"The customer perception is that it's a better experience," said Christa Small, the McDonald's director heading the test. "It's the perception that you have control over the process."
Small declined to discuss when the Oak Brook, Ill., company would make a decision about implementing the kiosks on a permanent basis, or how much the devices cost.
But the competition is heating up. Privately held Burger King Corp., the largest hamburger-making rival to McDonald's, also is testing kiosks in a handful of stores. A representative for the Miami company declined to provide additional details.
Having a machine consistently remember to ask whether you want French fries with your sandwich, as the McDonald's kiosks do, can boost the value of a transaction by 10% to 20%, said Kate Delhagen, a Forrester Research analyst who has studied kiosk technology.
She estimates that installing such stations in a typical restaurant would cost $10,000 to $20,000 for the hardware, with software, training and maintenance an additional expense.
Within a few years, benefits will outweigh those costs, Delhagen said. For instance, before an order is sent to the kitchen at the McDonald's in St. Charles, the computer verifies that it's correct, providing a rolling total, so virtually nothing is lost in translation. Inserting a bill or credit card into the machine completes the process, and in about a minute a server appears with food and change.
麦当劳以高科技尝试新式服务
Outside Chicago in St. Charles, Ill., longtime McDonald's franchisee John Lardas has reconfigured his restaurant, replacing three ordering stations manned by employees at the front counter with one traditional station and four stand-alone computers, or kiosks.
"You see no lines because people are spreading themselves out," said Lardas, who estimates that 70% of customers now opt to use the technology.
McDonald's, which recently admitted its service problems and vowed to fix them, is ironing the kinks out of technology that some believe will transform fast food the way similar systems have revolutionized bank transactions and airport check-ins.
Each kiosk allows a customer to place an order directly with the kitchen, using a touch screen with pictures of food, English or Spanish text and verbal prompts.
Have a Big Mac the regular way with special sauce; customize it without cheese or pickles.
"Order accuracy is a common complaint in the fast-food industry — people getting the wrong order or with something missing," said Robert Sandelman, an industry consultant in Orange County. The issue remains a top consumer concern in his firm's yearly industry survey, along with food taste and restaurant cleanliness.
That's partly because staffing restaurants with well-trained employees willing to work for low wages remains an increasing challenge for fast-food operators, which run on tight margins and have seen the price of commodities like beef move steadily higher.
Once perfected, the technology probably will lead to shorter wait times, labor cost savings and higher average purchases, analysts said.
"It's about time and lines," said Harry Balzer, vice president with food market research firm NPD Group Inc. "We are looking for the easiest way to feed ourselves."
Five McDonald's restaurants in the Denver area are operating self-ordering kiosks. An earlier phase of the test included stores in Raleigh, N.C. McDonald's is testing similar systems overseas in France, Australia and Japan.
"The customer perception is that it's a better experience," said Christa Small, the McDonald's director heading the test. "It's the perception that you have control over the process."
Small declined to discuss when the Oak Brook, Ill., company would make a decision about implementing the kiosks on a permanent basis, or how much the devices cost.
But the competition is heating up. Privately held Burger King Corp., the largest hamburger-making rival to McDonald's, also is testing kiosks in a handful of stores. A representative for the Miami company declined to provide additional details.
Having a machine consistently remember to ask whether you want French fries with your sandwich, as the McDonald's kiosks do, can boost the value of a transaction by 10% to 20%, said Kate Delhagen, a Forrester Research analyst who has studied kiosk technology.
She estimates that installing such stations in a typical restaurant would cost $10,000 to $20,000 for the hardware, with software, training and maintenance an additional expense.
Within a few years, benefits will outweigh those costs, Delhagen said. For instance, before an order is sent to the kitchen at the McDonald's in St. Charles, the computer verifies that it's correct, providing a rolling total, so virtually nothing is lost in translation. Inserting a bill or credit card into the machine completes the process, and in about a minute a server appears with food and change.
麦当劳以高科技尝试新式服务
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