QR code ordering at peak hours: when kiosks are busy
Skip the Line lets guests order and pay in their phone’s browser when kiosks are occupied. Here is how the shared order flow works and what to measure in a peak-hour pilot.
Skip the line by Eatery Club
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Imagine a restaurant that installs two self-service kiosks. The counter’s workload drops, but on the first busy Friday, four guests are waiting at each terminal at lunchtime. Someone leaves without ordering, even though the kitchen could take their order.
A kiosk, like any physical device, has a throughput limit. QR code ordering lets guests place an order without waiting for a kiosk. They scan a QR code beside the terminal and use the menu in their phone’s browser. Eatery Club™ offers this through Skip the Line, an extension of the kiosk rather than a separate product. The kiosk remains available, with the phone providing another way to order.
A study published in the Journal of Operations Management followed 94,404 guests at one restaurant over twelve months. Longer waits were associated with guests leaving more often, returning later, and spending less time at the restaurant. A simulation suggested that the restaurant could have earned almost 15% more with no waiting.
The study looked at waiting for a table, which is a different situation from waiting for a kiosk. Its findings do not measure Skip the Line’s performance or promise “+15%” from installing a terminal. They show that waiting can mean lost demand and revenue for a restaurant.
To locate the bottleneck, distinguish between three stages of waiting:
- before ordering, while guests wait for a counter or terminal;
- during ordering and payment;
- after payment, while the kitchen prepares the order and sends it to pickup.
The last stage depends on kitchen and pickup capacity. At the first two stages, the number of available terminals is often a constraint. When the kiosks are busy but the kitchen has room for more orders, the restaurant loses some guests before they reach the “Pay” button.
How Skip the Line works
- The guest scans a QR code next to the kiosk.
- The restaurant’s menu opens in their phone’s browser.
- They add items and modifiers to the cart, then pay online.
- After payment, they receive an order number and head to pickup.
For example, ten guests might be waiting to use two terminals while an eleventh submits an order from a phone. That guest does not need a free kiosk screen. The number of guests who can order at once is no longer limited by the number of terminals purchased. Payment, kitchen, and pickup capacity still have to support the additional orders.
How the kiosk, phone, and counter work together
A kiosk is visible from across the room. It displays the menu, helps guests learn to order for themselves, and serves people who do not want to use a personal device. When the terminals are occupied, guests can order by phone instead. The counter remains available for cash payments, advice, and help.
A field experiment at a quick-service restaurant found that guests rated the kiosk ordering experience higher, but cashiers generated more sales during busy periods. Findings from one restaurant cannot represent the whole industry. They do not establish the value of phone ordering either, but they give operators a reason not to discard counter service simply because kiosks are available.
Orders from all channels enter a shared flow before moving to the kitchen and pickup:
Different prices or 86 lists on the kiosk and phone can cause errors. A restaurant QR code ordering system needs to share the kiosk’s menu, prices, modifiers, 86 list, and order-processing system. At Eatery Club, self-service kiosks and Skip the Line are built as one system rather than two separate integrations.
How to measure QR ordering during a peak-hour pilot
A rising share of phone orders does not, on its own, mean the restaurant has gained orders. Guests may have switched from the counter or kiosk. During a pilot, compare total paid orders for the same peak hour and check whether the kitchen handled the workload.
Compare these measures before and after launch:
- paid orders per peak hour;
- line length and waiting time at the counter and kiosks;
- orders by channel (counter, kiosk, phone) and by time of day;
- conversion from opening the menu to payment, and the share of failed payments;
- time from payment to order readiness;
- average order value by channel on comparable days;
- requests for help and technical incidents.
If you introduce a discount, update the menu, and launch Skip the Line together, an overall increase in orders will not reveal the contribution of each of the three changes. Compare results hour by hour, accounting for guest traffic, promotions, and kitchen workload.
The best setting for a pilot is a short, sharp peak in demand: a food court at lunch, a fast-casual restaurant in the evening, a coffee shop near an office district, or a stand at a stadium or event. Look for a standardized menu, terminals that fill up quickly, and a kitchen that can still take more orders.
Where to look for order-flow constraints
With Skip the Line, order flow is limited by payment, kitchen, and pickup capacity. Measure their workload during the pilot to identify where changes are needed.
Book a demo to see how the kiosk and Skip the Line use a shared menu and order flow.
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