How a great cafe POS and Kiosk system can earn you an extra $23,000

If you manage or own a cafe and are looking at methods to generate more revenue, then this article will talk about how a cafe kiosk system is saving businesses thousands of dollars.

With almost every third retail business propping an espresso machine in their front window, the cafe and coffee sector has become frankly overcrowded. So when the market share is diluted, it’s important to think strategically on how to make your cafe more profitable in a highly competitive market. 

Changing the menu, increasing prices or working more hours are some of the vast amount of levers that can help move the profit needle. But a cafe kiosk system is becoming the modern technology of choice for first movers staying ahead of the industry trends and being rewarded with higher profits. 

What is a cafe kiosk system 

A cafe kiosk system is a small tablet screen positioned on the counter near the espresso machine which allows customers to order and pay themselves. Orders are then displayed on an iPad with the option to be automatically printed to multiple printer locations. The front of house and kitchen team then prepare the order(s) accordingly and change the order status to completed once service is up. A good system will have this process completely simplified so that there is minimal interaction with the tablet and maximum time on delivering fast service. 

But as we know, coffee is intimate and somewhat of a daily ritual for most people, so here’s the best insight into how our successful venues are using a tablet kiosk to balance a personalised service. 

For every new customer that approaches the counter, the barista greets them kindly and simply says “hey there, what are you having today? I’ll get that started for you but I’ll get you to place your order through here [points to the kiosk] while I make that”. By the time the customer has placed their order, their coffee is ready and the barista is onto the next order. 

After the first interaction with the kiosk, the customer knows exactly how the process works and so the counter service gets faster for next time.

You’ll notice from the above interaction that the barista can focus on making coffee without stopping to place an order through a Point of Sale system (POS). When you multiply this time saved by every customer order throughout the day, you’ll appreciate the time saved and a faster coffee service. If your roster has a dedicated staff member taking orders on the POS, then this role can be either shifted elsewhere to prepare service, or can be saved in wages. On average, we see our partners saving $17,706 per year with a cafe kiosk system.  

‍Optimising your cafe self service system

A typical venue configuration will have the tablet kiosk with EFTPOS terminal, a staff tablet POS for order management with single or multiple docket printers pending on the venue's format. Online ordering and QR code table ordering can be added as additional services which integrate into the one central POS and self service system. With a system configured like this, staff can focus on speed of delivery without the need to stop and take orders which can drag out when customers are deliberating on choice. The front of house team can still chat with the customers whilst simultaneously making the coffee or preparing food as needed. Service speed gets faster and when customers get their orders sooner, your business creates a better atmosphere and customer experience.   

You can expect to discover a well presented digital menu can sell up to 20% more as customers shop based on how they feel, not just by what they read. 

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How to launch a Cafe kiosk system

Host takes out all of the heavy lifting to provide you a simple onboarding experience. Built on years of data and customer feedback, your cafe kiosk system can be online in a number of days which includes the account build, hardware installation and training. You can expect to receive ongoing technical support and operating guides to give you the best information and knowledge on how to own and operate your self service system. 

Host has specialised in digital ordering since 2018 previously operating the On the Go app which evolved into a ful ecosystem of order and payments for hospitality businesses. When it comes to cafe technology, the Host team has worked with hundreds of business owners and over 20,000 customers nationwide creating a beautifully simple platform. 

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Ready to hear more? Fill in our contact form and our founder Wes will be in touch within the next business day.

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