first published week of: 04/25/2016
Kiosks and mobile ordering are quickly changing the way we perceive customer service
Panera Bread is modernizing the dining experience at its restaurants with Panera 2.0, a series of integrated technologies that enhance the service, whether customers choose to eat in or get their order to go.
The fast casual chain expects to boost the customer experience with ordering kiosks, mobile and online ordering, and a feature that lets guests order at the table. The kiosks are already in place in about 400 restaurants, with plans to have them in all of their 1,972 stores within the next few years.9The move is part of an effort to cut wait times, improve order accuracy and focus on quality ingredients to draw more customers, but there is growing evidence that as pressure to raise wages grows, employers will turn to automation to avoid payroll hikes.
Certain fast food establishments in Europe have already replaced part of their workforce with automated employers in response to high minimum wages. For example, all of McDonald’s locations in France have installed kiosks that substitute and supplement human employees, allowing the chain to avoid some of the high payroll costs that come with France’s minimum wage, currently around $11 an hour in U.S. dollars. continued…