Sometimes the answers to your QSR's business conundrums are right outside your window. Sushishop's ordering "window" in Sweden. (Photo provided by Sushishop)
- The pandemic has forced all restaurants to rethink their spaces, but the need was particularly acute for Sushishop, a small restaurant in Stockholm that could accommodate a line of nine customers before the pandemic. Social distancing requirements, which call for customers to remain 6 feet apart, cut that to four, said Sushishop owner Mikael Shaaya, who turned to technology to help him solve his people problem.
- He tapped Elo's open-frame touchscreen with Clicksys' software to allow customers to order via an interface attached to the outside of the shop's windows.
- The result? Not only can guests place orders without entering, leave and return when they receive a "your order is ready" text, but the new interface allows social distance galore while enabling curbside ordering and pickup. In fact, the solution is actually increasing the QSR's capacity, allowing it to receive and fulfill more orders, Shaaya told QSRweb in an email.
- "We can handle more guests while still being able to more easily follow the rules of the public health authority," he said. "When the coronavirus first broke out, we could not receive all our guests because of the new public health ordinances, so this creative solution is very valuable to us. The guests are happy that they don't have to crowd inside the restaurant —instead, both the ordering and delivery of their food happen outside, so they can continue to eat their favorite sushi at their leisure."
- We talked to Elo Vice President of Retail and Hospitality Solutions Sonal Apte to find out more details about how this solution worked for Sushishop and how it might be applied at other QSRs in the same or other ways to enhance business. See below.
- Q: Is this in- or on-the-window solution something new or newly created, or is it being used in other ways?
- A:The touch-thru technology offered in the Sushishop is an existing Elo capability and is used in many different ways throughout the restaurant and hospitality verticals. Additional examples of where this include:
- Smart mirrors, where a touchscreen computer is designed/built-in behind a mirror layer.
- Bar-top games, where a touchscreen computer is under a glass top protecting it from food and drink.
- 24/7 storefronts, like Sushishop, through a window front.
- For the solution to work optimally, it requires an open frame display model with Projected Capacitive touchscreen technology. This enables touch functionality through the glass window or any cover material for that matter. Through this technology, consumers can even utilize double-layer gloves to interact with the screen and still have a seamless and functional experience. The additional layer protecting the touchscreen — the windowpane in this use case — can be glass, plastic or acrylic and up to 6 mm thick, not containing any metals.
- The screen at Sushishop is positioned so that it has a certain pressure against the windowpane in order to avoid an air gap between the window and screen. The touchscreen is mounted on a floor stand and positioned against the glass to achieve the right position flush against the windowpane, allowing customers to easily use the touchscreen, even behind the windowpane.
- Q: What do you see as the main business and hygiene-related advantages of this solution?
- A: The main advantage is that the technology is extra-protected, durable and easy to clean behind a seamless top enclosure. And in this case, it is a complement to social distancing practices. It also allows restaurant operators who do not have their own mobile or online ordering apps to take advantage of digitization.
- This allows a walk-in guest who cannot wait or does not want to dine in to still enjoy the food, while providing an additional way for the restaurant to continue serving customers and gain revenue.
- Q: What types of brands do you think will be most interested in this interface, particularly now, after the onset of the pandemic globally?
- A:A lot is in flux as a new normal emerges. As businesses across the board adapt to new requirements and guidelines, I see this type of application growing in popularity, especially in smaller business settings like (with) restaurant entrepreneurs who don't have the capabilities to launch their own mobile apps, online ordering or delivery services. …
- An interactive screen at the restaurant's location with a digital order system allows that restaurant to take advantage of the digital transformation that their customers are now beginning to expect, while helping to promote social distancing and safety guidelines to ease guests' anxieties. Source:https://www.qsrweb.com/
