Intel Introduces Self-Service Ordering for Quick Service Restaurants

At the National Retail Federation’s 100th Anniversary trade show held in New York City this month, Intel introduced an advanced version of a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) touch screen kiosk that lets guests make their own orders while still in the line. The system reduces errors, saves time for guests and staff, leaves an electronic market research trail, allows for personalization and customization of orders, and raises sales by increasing throughput during busy times like the lunch rush.

The menu only needs a phone number to recognize a guest and, over time, learns individual preferences and makes special offers to improve loyalty. Intel’s (and other’s) research demonstrates that people often order more from a machine than from a person. There’s less of a guilty feeling when getting the “super size” option or adding on ice cream. For this reason alone, the system has a very strong ROI, according to Intel.

Why is Intel showing off a restaurant application? Because they’re enticing retail OEM (original equipment manufacturers) to create new products around this concept that use their advanced chipset. The new Intel chips have enough processing power to guestimate a person’s gender, approximate age, and height. Making that guess as a customer approaches the kiosk (usually in less than two seconds) allows marketers to put relevant offers in front of that person. This approach to ‘sensing’ who’s interested lets businesses ‘respond’ with fewer ads people don’t want to see and more relevant offers that help them save money. That’s an experience that’s good for everyone.