With digital dining predicted to be a $300 billion opportunity by 2025*, foodservice operators are scrambling to meet the demand and make the experience fast, fun – and efficient for their operations.
So far, results have been mixed. While digital ordering is usually fast and simple, all bets are off when the customer comes in to pick up that order.
Often, it’s an awkward dance in the entrance as they make their way past dine-in customers, bump into employees rushing to take to-go orders to a pickup shelf or counter, and maneuver past customer lines at the registers.
Meanwhile, restaurant staff are juggling orders for eat-in customers while keeping an eye on all those takeout orders, making sure the right order goes to the right customer or delivery service. And all this inefficiency means orders take too long to pick up, and a convenient option becomes an inconvenient hassle.
That’s the kind of aggravation and anxiety that can drive away customers who don’t have the time or patience to deal with it.
Make order pickup awesome
It’s this less-than-perfect scenario that inspired the development of NRA 2019’s Kitchen Innovations Award recipient, the AXCESS 2000.H Pick-Up Station from Apex Supply Chain Technologies®. The industry’s first heated, self-serve order pickup station was specifically designed to make the “last inch” handoff of digital orders more convenient for customers – and more efficient for employees.
The lockers feature a smart, two-sided design, meant to be strategically located so that employees can load orders from the back, while customers pick up in front. More importantly, it’s a fast, self-serve experience for busy people who don’t have time to wait in line or delivery drivers who want to get in and out quickly.
Fast and fun for customers
The real genius of the order pickup station is that it continues the fast, efficient experience that begins with the digital order process. Once an employee places the order in the compartment for pickup, the customer receives a text or email with a unique code. Then they can skip the line and go straight to the pickup station, where they scan or enter their code. The secure compartment holding their order opens, they grab their order and are on their way in seconds.
Smarter, more efficient for operations
Just as importantly, the AXCESS 2000.H also makes order pickup less disruptive and more efficient for restaurant operations. The flow-through design makes it easy for associates to load orders from the back, and they don’t get in the way of customers picking up at the front. And with the growing demand for delivery, drivers can pick-up their orders without disrupting the restaurant workflow.
The AXCESS 2000.H is ideal for a variety of hot foods, including chicken, ribs, as well as prepared meals. And the Apex Cloud platform is worry-free, with proven 99.5% uptime. Learn more about the full line of Apex Order Pick-Up Solutions and contact us today for a demo.
*Restaurant Digital Crossroads: The Race to Meet Guest Expectations. Incisiv, October 2018