BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE
Most likely you are becoming familiar with digital ordering kiosks. They are called lots of things, like self-serve kiosks, order kiosks, power menu boards and probably various other terms. You may love them, but I do not care for them at all.
Taco Bell, McDonald’s and other eateries have them stationed in many of their stores. On more than one occasion I have tried to place an order the old-fashioned way and have been totally ignored. A couple of times I just got back in my car and ordered in the drive-through. Everything was the same there. No worries. I just simply said, “Give me a chicken burrito supreme.” I pulled up to the window, paid for my food, received my burrito and drove on my merry way.
There have been occasions when some nice soul would come to the counter and take my order. I also make a big deal about thanking the person for taking my order.
Often one or two people are waiting to use the kiosk. They peck and poke around, adding and subtracting the cheese, the sauces, the lettuce and sometimes adding something extra. I often start wondering if they are playing some kind of Las Vegas game. I am not really impatient, but my patience is a bit thin when I’m starving and traveling.
There is no perfect world, and I like the good old days when you walked into McDonald’s and there were three or four nice people standing by to take an order. They took my order for a cheeseburger, fries and a Coke, handed me a tray with the food for a very reasonable price, and it was simply fun. Today, it is not fun at many fast-food eateries. It is peek-and-poke on a screen. They wear me out.
Recently I saw some guy walking out of the men’s restroom in front of me. He did not wash his hands before going straight to the kiosk to make an order. How many times every day does this happen? How could these contraptions even come into existence after the days of COVID?
People touch a lot of things: credit card readers, door handles, and the list goes on. Just add the menu ordering kiosks to the list.
I suppose the owners love the kiosks? Are they really making them more money or saving them employee expenses? Are they really working? Have they made their business easier? The fact that I do not care for them is unlikely to be affecting anything. However, the Hardee’s and the Burger King around the corner from where I live still take my order at the counter. That is where I find myself navigating when in need of that kind of food. Time will tell if my choices will make any difference.
The Kiosk ordering board may or may not work for you. In a recent poll, over 90% said they dislike or detest the kiosk ordering boards. Some said they simply chose the drive-through or restaurants that did not require customers to use a kiosk to order.
Dr. Glenn Mollette is the author of 15 books. He is a graduate of Georgetown College, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Kentucky) and Lexington Theological Seminary (Lexington, Kentucky). He is the founder of Newburgh Theological Seminary (Newburgh, Indiana). His column is published in over 600 media outlets nationally.