The recent COVID-19 pandemic has demanded dramatic changes in industries worldwide. With “social distancing” now the rallying cry of coronavirus prevention, consumers are now spending exclusively with preference for outlets that offer specific mediums for them to order without having to engage in potentially dangerous face-to-face contact. A reflection of germ prevention efforts, customers increasingly prefer to order their food via kiosks, rather than from the cashier.

In times of panic, consumers are consistently put at ease when they are able to retain their sense of control. With kiosks, making sanitation wipes available for patrons to use is an obvious avenue of delivering said comfort, as customers are able to clean the kiosk before use to their own level of satisfaction. It’s just as easy for a restaurant to clean a kiosk with alcohol between customers themselves to simultaneously do their part to help stop the spread of the virus, as well as garner support from local patrons and even press outlets.

Consumers’ desire to avoid contagious illness is speeding up the adoption of kiosks even more. Today we are seeing an unprecedented number of requests for immediate installations at quick-serve and fast-casual restaurants, and we realize this deviation from the dangerous status quo has already begun. The harsh reality is many restaurants have been forced to switch to an exclusively takeout-and-delivery model almost overnight, operating under city and state mandates to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. They have laid off some of their dining room staff as a result, or redeployed them. In order to preserve the efficiency of not just the kitchen, but brand as a whole, they need an automated solution.

Kiosks are the answer for many. With customers entering their orders on the kiosk—or interacting with the menu entirely on their phone via a scannable QR code on the kiosk—the greatly reduced wait staff can attend to the more urgent tasks.

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