BENEFITS
 

Self-Service for the Quick Service and Fast Casual Restaurant Environments

 

Look around. We are the self-service generation! We use ATMs, computerized airport check in, and automated grocery and retail check out. We surf the internet. We pay at the gas pump. We multi-task and still ask why there aren't more hours in a day. We demand convenience, choice and speed of service.

 

The National Restaurant Association's 2007 Restaurant Industry Forecast
notes that 71 percent of consumers between the ages of 18 and 24 and
64 percent of consumers between the ages of 25 and 34 - key demographic
groups - would prefer to use self-service in a quick service restaurant.
This data is consistent with the results of a 2005 independent survey
conducted for EMN8®, which found that 71 percent of quick service
restaurant customers across all age groups said they were likely to use
self-service kiosks in the future at any restaurant serving fast food.

 

Why? Compared to a cashier, customers found self-service to be faster, easier, more accurate, convenient and fun. They cited they received better service ("less attitude") and didn't feel rushed. The main reason why they liked self-service was because it presented an intuitive menu flow combined with an effective use of graphics and visual clues.

 

We find an increasing number of news segments and articles acknowledging that self-service and technology spending is on the rise. Interest among quick service and fast casual restaurant operators appears to be strong. A 2006 National Restaurant News survey reported that 50 percent of quick service operators said they would spend more on technology in 2007.

 

The business climate certainly makes self-service technology attractive to restaurant operators. The cost of labor, energy and wholesale food prices are squeezing margins. And, in some markets, good employees are hard to find. The competition for the consumer is also adding pressure on quick service and fast casual restaurants to improve customer service, expand menu options and hours of operation, and increase sales.

 

Even in this pro-self-service environment, the NRN survey found decision makers hesitant. Their concerns: consumer acceptance, cost of implementation, and ease of integration into existing technology. It seems as though everyone is waiting for one large quick service brand to break through and adopt self-service on a broad scale - lowering the risk for everyone.

 

The reality is you don't have to wait. You just need to partner with the right vendor. According to a 2006 Self-Service World market survey, businesses overwhelmingly want a self-service vendor that understands their particular industry and company and has real-world success stories to prove it.

 

At EMN8®, we leverage our expertise in self-service and market experience to deliver applications that engage consumers, integrate efficiently and fully with a business operation, and achieve real results for our customers.

 

Partnering with EMN8® offers improved customer service, increased sales and ROI, and new operational efficiencies for your company. In an independent survey conducted for EMN8®, 84 percent of guests who ordered at the EMN8® kiosk said they would return to the same restaurant compared to only 59 percent of guests who ordered at the cashier. Other EMN8® studies have found a 10 to 29 percent average increase in the transaction amount, up to a 35 percent increase in thru-put during peak hours, and up to a 60 percent reduction in the cost of labor. Real customers, real results!

 

For more information about self-service programs, please contact EMN8® at info@emn8.com.

 

Copyright © 2007 EMN8®, Inc. All rights reserved.