I went to KFC today around lunch time and to McDonald’s around 4:15 PM. In both cases, there was a line out the door and only one cashier despite there being more registers. I gave up and went elsewhere.
At McDonald’s, they were serving food at a rapid pace and kept calling out mobile orders, while at the same time the line was moving ever so slowly.
Why are they not opening more registers? Labor shortage? Do they want to push us to use apps to order? Both?
Thoughts?
29 comments
Yes, because it saves them money in staff they don’t have to hire or pay.
I’ve noticed this as well. There will only be one register open even at very busy times.
I think this also has to do with Uber/delivery services. There’s a lot more potential orders coming in at once than before, and not enough staff to fill them.
The real problem here is having junk food two meals in a day.
I imagine like most other places in the world there’s a severe shortage in the cast food industries.
Every company wants you to use an app. That way they can farm data on your phone, push notifications to you to get you to take part in promos when you wouldn’t have originally thought of them, etc.
At our mcd’s, they literally have people queuing across the lobby while nobody is staffing the tills. In the UK you’d get crucified for that.
I love the touch screens in the restaurants. So much quicker. I think it’s better for the staff too, not having to speak to idiot customers.
Punch in your order; wait for your number to be called.
I recently noticed the same thing when I went Starbucks. I fell in line but ended up using the app mobile order because it was much faster
Why would someone go to the cashiers in 2023?
I don’t have to wait in line as much as before by using the app.
>Why are they not opening more registers? Labor shortage? **Do they want to push us to use apps to order**? Both?
Yeah it’s pretty obvious.
**The direct human-to-human order process is extremely inefficient** because you’ll always have to contend with:
1. people reaching the register before they know *exactly* what they want.
2. people fumbling around to look for their point card.
3. people fumbling around to find their cash or put in their credit card pin code.
During that time, the cashier is basically standing there not creating any value for the business.
If the same customer was **ordering through the app, that same staff member is not “engaged” until** an order has actually been placed. At that point they are engaged in fulfilling the order, which is value creation.
Plus, **logistically, one cashier can realistically only process one order every 30 seconds to 1 minute at best**, depending on how prepared the customer is (see above), whereas the very nature of **the mobile app** is that theoretically it **can simultaneously handle an unlimited number of orders** as long as the branch in question hasn’t set some of sort of temporary limiter.
They could hire more people but the more people they hire, the more food they need to prepare at the same time so every time you put someone on the register you might need to put one (or even two) more people in the kitchen as well.
Bonus points: some may wonder “what if someone comes in and doesn’t know what to order?” – from a purely business perspective, if McDonalds can get rid of those people and replace them with people who only order via the app (and pick up their orders in a reasonable amount of time) then they’ll be happy with that outcome.
Moves to Japan
Eats KFC and McD
ok
They are overwhelmed with orders coming from mobile orders and Uber so they limit how many orders come in by the register. If they are not busy with orders they often open up another register (at least at my local McDonald’s)
Regardless, for McD’s I will almost exclusively use the app. 1. Barely anyone in my area uses it. 2. I like to use curbside pickup or table service unless I need ketchup. So dumb stand-alone condiments can’t be ordered in the app. I usually don’t ask them to go back inside to get ketchup so I usually do counter pickup if I need something extra
I’m at McDonald’s right now and ordered using the app! It’s actually pretty well designed, easy to use, and features coupons, so I’d recommend it!
And to answer your question, yes I imagine they want to push us to use apps to order.
Also point of sale terminals at physical stores are not cheap. The supermarket ones with a scanner and multiple monitors and cameras to process QR codes can easily cost 1,000,000 yen per unit. Even the mc Donald’s one’s can easily cost a 500,000 yen when you get it with a service plan.
Yup, most of the other countries are using the app to order food. Less people at the register
Honestly I don’t mind. Obviously it would be better if I could just use a website instead, but at McDonald’s I can just plop down into a seat and order food straight to my table.
Burger King has self registers that I use.
I’ve seen a line of 20 at my local McDonald’s and no numbers on the board. People were not using the app at all but only 2 people serving.
Yes of course. They want your sweet sweet data.
I use the app and get my food before everybody else. What’s there not to like?
KFC and McDonald’s in one day?
It works. I just wanted some McDonald’s fries recently and the line was out the door, with more people just waiting for their orders everywhere. No bikes could get by.
Then again, there was a time where I was lazy and wanted to order delivery and the wait time was 3 hours.
“Do they want to push us to use apps to order?”
Of course, it’s cheaper for them as they need to pay less, hard to find, staff.
I went to an Italian place and you had to add it on Line to see the menu. Then order using the app.
I’m going with labor shortage. My kids have been asked multiple times while in line at the register or waiting for their food(!) to work for Maccas. The older women can only work so many hours a day.
At two of my local KFCs they only accept orders on kiosks now.
KFC near where I work is now fully automated. You walk in, place order on the machine, pay (with QuickPay). Wait for order.
Honestly, it’s easier and faster than talking to people.
I saw the same thing at burger king, except they had one machine and one register. There was a massive line at the register so I went to the machine and placed my order. Was in and out faster than the line went down. I guess people hate change?
I currently work part time at McDonald’s, it’s not that we are trying to get more people to use apps, it’s more so that we don’t always have enough people in the back preparing the food to keep up with having two registers open and mobile orders, Uber eats orders and McDonald’s delivery orders.