1. Has anyone used or seen the new Pecos Bill Order kiosks in action.
2. What are people's reaction to it, do they stare at it and take twice as long like self checkout at grocery stores or is it more efficient.
I've actually used them a couple of times in the last month or so since they went in. Both times, the lines for regular cashiers were backed up 7+ deep and there was absolutely nobody using the kiosks. I just walked up, clicked a few buttons, swiped my CheckCard and I was done. I think they are a great idea from a technology concept but I don't anticipate they could cover a significant percentage of the queue capacity..
A couple of general observations:
1) In an effort to simplify the screens, they have reduced the items that are on the screen and you have to move to different places on the screen to choose sandwiches, drinks etc.. These menus aren't large enough for that to be necessary and I think it can add more confusion.
2) At least in the case of Pecos Bill, they've tried to theme the look of the screens a little too much and as a result it's not always crystal clear which item is which. A crisp color photo for each item would make someone more confident of their choice. Things like a subtle difference in the size of icons for beverages is a good example that could cause confusion.
3) In a large scale deploy, I fear these could actually slow the lines down even more than now. If you think about how many times you've been in line for 15 minutes and when the person in front of you gets to the cashier, they start reading the menu board to decide what they want. Adding a technology interface that doesn't answer questions would cause gridlock in the line.
I for one think they're a great idea and will continue to use it every time I'm there; It's really quick and easy. As long as they only put a small number of them in each restaurant I think it can speed things up for people that are comfortable with this sort of approach, but it certainly can't replace the cashier model we all know.
Just my thoughts.