A long queue costs you twice: customers who give up and walk away, and a stressed team trying to catch up. Here are five practical ways to keep the line moving at your busiest times.
1. Let customers order at a kiosk
A self-service kiosk lets customers order and pay on their own while your team serves the next person. It also suggests extras with every order, so the queue moves faster and orders are often bigger.
2. Show order progress on a collection screen
Once people have ordered, much of the crowd at the counter is customers asking "is mine ready?". A collection display screen shows each order number as Preparing or Ready, so customers wait calmly and your team can get on with the next order. It runs on a TV or monitor of your choice for £19 a month + VAT.
3. Send orders straight to the kitchen
Every minute spent carrying tickets or re-reading handwriting slows the whole line down. A kitchen display screen shows each order the moment it's placed, sent to the right station.
4. Take orders before customers arrive
Orders placed online for collection never join the queue at all. With your own online ordering website, customers order and pay ahead, and the order lands in your till and kitchen. It's included in the Essentials and Premium plans.
5. Make paying quicker
Contactless card, phone and watch payments take seconds, and an integrated card machine gets the total straight from the till, so there's nothing to type in. Find out more about integrated payments.
Putting it together
The biggest difference comes when these work as one system: a customer orders at a kiosk, the order goes straight to the kitchen screen, and the collection screen tells them when it's ready. No queue at the counter at all.
Want to see how it works in your venue? Book a free demo.
