Been to a fast-food restaurant recently? If you have, there’s a strong chance you had the option to order and pay using a self-serve kiosk, as more and more restaurants choose to install this technology. In fact, RBR Data Services’ recent research showed a 43% increase in kiosk installations in the two years to June 2023 – and here are some other things you may not have known about this technology:
Kiosk uptake is skyrocketing in Asia-Pacific
The USA is home to fast-food titans such as Burger King and McDonald’s, which were early pioneers of the self-ordering revolution. As such, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the country has the largest number of restaurant kiosks than any other in the world. But here’s something that might surprise you: The real growth story is unfolding in the Asia-Pacific region.
While China and Japan lead the pack in terms of sheer numbers, it’s countries like India, the Philippines and South Korea that are experiencing a kiosk boom like never before. And this digital transformation isn’t limited to Asia. Across the globe, from Brazil and Mexico to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, a remarkable variety of hospitality businesses are eagerly embracing self-ordering technology.
It’s not just the fast-food industry top dogs that are embracing self-ordering
The world’s biggest quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains continue to roll out kiosks across their global restaurant networks and account for most of the market growth seen in every continent. However, countless regional and local brands, as well as independent businesses, have also implemented self-service.
China’s Dicos and South Korea’s Lotteria and Mom’s Touch have installed the technology at their many thousands of burger and chicken restaurants domestically. Japan’s MOS Burger and Filipino firm Jollibee have introduced kiosks in their home markets and beyond, in countries such as Malaysia and Taiwan.
In Europe, rollouts are ramping up as North American chains such as Popeyes, Taco Bell and Tim Hortons expand across the Atlantic and bring digital ordering systems with them. Europe’s own QSR brands, such as Finland’s Hesburger, France’s Quick and Sweden’s MAX Burgers, have also implemented major self-ordering projects – as have many domestic firms in other parts of the world, including Australia’s Red Rooster and Brazil’s Grupo Madero.
You can now order a pizza or your coffee at a kiosk
When you think of self-ordering kiosks, you might picture some of the world’s most popular burger brands – but from coffee and doughnuts to pizza and poke, there is an ever-growing range of food service establishments implementing the technology.
The EMEA region showcases this diversity. UK health-food franchise Tossed, French poke bowl chain POKAWA and Israeli sandwich specialists New Deli are just a few examples of businesses outside the traditional fast-food mould that have adopted kiosk technology.
Meanwhile, Domino’s has introduced self-ordering at its pizza outlets in the Netherlands, as has Dunkin’ at its doughnut stores in Germany. Kiosks are common at pizza chains in Middle Eastern countries, too, such as Saudi Arabia, where Maestro Pizza and Pizza Hut have digitised their stores.
In the UK, in particular, there has been a flurry of projects among major coffee chains, where the likes of Black Sheep and Costa have launched self-ordering at numerous stores while leading retailer Marks & Spencer is also rolling out kiosks to its newly digitised cafes.
There’s a vast array of kiosk suppliers to choose from
With so many chains installing kiosks across much of the globe, competition between technology providers is fierce. Among the firms at the forefront of this dynamic market are France’s Acrelec, which supplies solutions to the likes of McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC across continents. McDonald’s stores around the world also feature kiosk hardware provided by Coates Group, Diebold Nixdorf and Evoke.
Meanwhile, HiStone and Taiyun have a strong presence in their home market of China, and even major electronics manufacturers Samsung and LG have entered this growing sector, supplying hardware to QSR chains in both Asia and Europe.
Crucial to this technological shift is the software, which often comes as part of an overall digital transformation strategy that includes mobile ordering. U.S.-based software firms Bite and GRUBBRR teamed up with hardware firms such as Elo to provide such solutions to countless domestic brands, while Tillster partners with various manufacturers to supply global giants, such as Burger King.
There’s more self-service ordering to come
The global self-ordering kiosk market shows no signs of slowing down, with an ever-growing list of QSR industry powerhouses pursuing major digitisation projects. Among these is global sandwich goliath Subway, which has partnered with UK-based software firm Vita Mojo to embark on an ambitious kiosk rollout across Europe. With fast-food heavy-hitters such as Del Taco, Five Guys and Jack In The Box also jumping on the kiosk bandwagon in recent months, it’s undeniable that there is a bright future for the market.
These are just a few of the developments and trends we explore in our comprehensive Global Self-Ordering Kiosks study, which provides detailed coverage of the global market with robust data and insightful commentary. Learn more about the full coverage and deliverables available here. For more information, please email me at [email protected].
