McDonald’s is launching new digital kiosks that accept cash and dispense change.
The move follows the chainwide rollout of self-order kiosks in 2020, which accepted credit card payments and required cash customers to go to the counter.
“These changes allow franchisees to meet our customers’ increased desire for digital options while improving speed and accuracy,” a McDonald’s spokesperson told Food On Demand.
Could this potentially eliminate the need for human cashiers at the burger chain? McDonald’s emphasized that “no” the new tech will not lead to staff cuts but rather, reassign workers to other tasks.
Rising labor costs lead operators to automate
But amid rising labor costs, more and more operators in the restaurant industry are adopting kiosks and other forms of automation.
McDonald’s franchisees can opt-in to roll out cash-accepting kiosks.
Food-tech companies told Food On Demand the highest demand for kiosks is in California, with its current $20 minimum wage law.
“Kiosks are one of the hottest topics right now,” said Mike Whatley of the National Restaurant Association.
The National Restaurant Association reports that 51 percent of operators are investing in tech to boost productivity in the service area. This trend is expected to grow, with investments projected to hit 55 percent this year.
At the Golden Arches, franchisees can opt-in to add cash-accepting kiosks. Currently, only about two percent have done so. Franchisees operate 95 percent of the 14,300 McDonald’s locations in the U.S. Though customers can expect to see the updates in newly built stores.
Under the new design, screens behind the checkout counter will focus on select items and prompt customers to order at the kiosk or through the mobile app and will not show the full menu. However, customers can still order at the counter and can request printed menus.
Digital orders, including those made via the app, self-service kiosks, and delivery service made up over 40 percent of McDonald’s sales during the third quarter of last year.
“We’re digital forward,” said Chris Kempczinski, McDonald’s CEO. “And will continue to reinvent ourselves to meet our customers and restaurant teams where they are today, and where they’re going tomorrow.”
