Subway Steps Up Digital Game; Adds Self-Ordering Kiosks, Menuboards
June 19, 2017 by Dave Haynes
Subway is stepping up its digital game, adding self-ordering kiosks and digital menuboards in a bid to reverse three years of declining sales.
Bloomberg reports that Subway is testing about 50 self-ordering kiosks that allow people to walk in and tailor their order, instead of doing the back and forth ordering with the worker actually adding the lettuce and tomatoes and other options. That allows for order accuracy and probably offers a pretty good way to deal with language issues, as fast food shops tend to have high percentages of recent immigrants.
The kiosks on the counters are using Armodilo enclosures. No word on the software, but assume it is tied to whatever point of sale system Subways uses.
I know pre-sell screens have been in Subways for years, but the Bloomberg piece specifically calls out digital menu displays, saying they are available in hundreds of stores.
Subway tested these many years ago in several franchises and showed significant increase in average price per order, increased number of orders processed, and a decreased cost of the line as people didn’t constantly ask for more if whatever add-in they wanted. Biggest issue was (is?) if corporate is paying or the individual franchisee.