Pecos Bill New Kiosks

[StageFrenzy]

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.

 

[StephanieS]

I haven't used them at Pecos Bills but they have them at Taste Pilots Grill at DCA. We were there on a busy day and they were awful-- the line was so long and people took FOREVER. They would sit and start at the screen and not know what to do. When we got up to use the computer it was totally simple and took 2 seconds.

 

[lnsemsf]

I haven't used them at Pecos Bills but they have them at Taste Pilots Grill at DCA. We were there on a busy day and they were awful-- the line was so long and people took FOREVER. They would sit and start at the screen and not know what to do. When we got up to use the computer it was totally simple and took 2 seconds.

Never underestimate the stupidity of the human race.

 

[AnimalMagnetism]

I was there on one of the first days they were in use and nobody was using them, despite reasonably large lines at the staffed positions. I couldn't use them, sadly, because my girlfriend wanted a burger without cheese, and you can't do "personalised" orders at them. I bet over time they will turn into a success though, as more seasoned guests get used to them.

 

[djmatthews]

I haven't used them at Pecos Bills but they have them at Taste Pilots Grill at DCA. We were there on a busy day and they were awful-- the line was so long and people took FOREVER. They would sit and start at the screen and not know what to do. When we got up to use the computer it was totally simple and took 2 seconds.

I too have used them at Taste Pilots grill at DCA. Personally I loved them, however, I'm not sure how it will work with the Dining Plan.

One thing to look out for is the incremental sales. We ordered two burgers & fries; it then prompted us for onion rings... 'yeah sure' was our reaction, this has never happened to me at the regular pay stations. If I CM were to ask, I would view it as a hard sell, and wouldn’t order on principal, however when I machine asks, it just seemed like “have you thought about trying these with your meal”.

 

[Figment1986]

ironically, someone went to DCA real recently and noticed the self ordered kiosks have dissappeared from Taste Palots Grill... perhaps they were moved here rather than duplicate them?

(I remember how they couldn't do disney reward dollars... and of course no customizing the items.)

 

[Pabgo]

I thought these self service kiosks were supposed to make things easier! They are easier, it's just people aren't up with the technology these days!

 

[Figment1986]

I thought these self service kiosks were supposed to make things easier! They are easier, it's just people aren't up with the technology these days!

the machines cannot do customized orders, and are pushy...

 

[mrerk]

Didn't they have these at Captain Cooks after the rehab? Are they still there?

 

[GoofBall06]

Yes, they were there at Captain Cook's when I visited in May. I liked them but my mom didn't. She didn't find it easier than just explaining it to a cashier. One kiosk night one had to "reboot" and it seemed like it took 30 min which caused a line back up. ALso, a very old man could not understand how to do anything and a cashier had to help him. I'm sure in the future it will be a very convienent technology but for now they should have a cast memeber standing nearby to make sure guests know what to do. ( the cm at the cashier had to keep leaving her post and help guests wtih the Kiosks which meant people waited longer to pay for their food)

 

[Figment82]

Yes, they were there at Captain Cook's when I visited in May. I liked them but my mom didn't. She didn't find it easier than just explaining it to a cashier. One kiosk night one had to "reboot" and it seemed like it took 30 min which caused a line back up. ALso, a very old man could not understand how to do anything and a cashier had to help him. I'm sure in the future it will be a very convienent technology but for now they should have a cast memeber standing nearby to make sure guests know what to do. ( the cm at the cashier had to keep leaving her post and help guests wtih the Kiosks which meant people waited longer to pay for their food)

When I was there a couple weeks ago, they did have a CM standing nearby to handle any questions/confusion.

My problem was that I ordered the Adult Grilled Cheese sandwich (yum!) and a drink, but never got my cup so I had to get back in line to ask for one. Somehow my order got completely lost in the shuffle so I had to wait longer. Not a big problem by any means, but it didn't work as easily as it had in previous times using the system there.

 

[mkepcotmgmak]

how sure are you that you can't customize the order? you can at captain cooks... it wasn't the most obvious thing, but you could add or take items off of the regular menu item... just curious if it was different than capt. cooks?

 

[rdour@techminds]

I've seen these popping up at places other than Disney parks. A chain of shops called WhiteHen Pantry in Chicago uses these for ordering your sandwich. The issue is, this allowed them to pretty much hire everyone without the need for English to be present. This really isn't much of an issue, until someone can't use the touch screen interface. I just can't see it. I can't ask anyone in the store to help, and usually have to wait until someone walks in who is nice enough to help out.

Once the order is placed, screens show the employee in their own language what needs to be done. Very creative. I believe they also have a picture mode for those who can't read. However, even the people taking cash generally speak little to no English. If you do find someone who does speak it, they will generally refuse to help, as they would have to walk away from their post. Not their fault, registeres need to be watched at all times.


I explain this for a reason. If these become a reality, we're going to see a decline in customer service quality. When technology does fail, it requires a human being to assist. That human being, living in the United States, had better know English. Otherwise they could be just as difficult to work with as the machines themselves. This is also not fair to the person trying to help. If they don't know how to communicate with customers, generally they are provided with a work environment that minimizes that activity. But these touch screens and special situations do require interaction, that is customer service. The quality is dropping fast, faster than I would have imagined.

 

[mousermerf]

I think that's why Disney learned from past mistakes and has registers as well as the kiosks at Pecos Bill's. Technology is great, but it's not a people replacement.

 

[wdwmagic]

Photos and info at http://www.wdwmagic.com/magic.htm

 

[HauntedPirate]

At Pecos Bill, where the menu is fairly simple (gimme a double bacon cheeseburger, thanks!), this should result in an improved ordering experience. However, without the ability to customize your order, it may not be something many people will do.

This is definitely something we will try in October and/or December.

 

[Disney4648]

Photos and info at http://www.wdwmagic.com/magic.htm

Thank you Steve, I was just about to ask about pictures.

 

[DDuckFan130]

I notice on the top it says credit card and disney dining plan only...I thought DDP wasn't going to be there and I thought we could use our room keys if we're charging to our room :veryconfu

 

[donsullivan]

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.

 

[cb3k]

All in favor of getting rid of the automated cashiers and bringing back the FREE cheese sauce, say I!