Self-order kiosks put Delaware eatery on the fast track

A restaurant catering to Millennials has to make the order process fast and easy.

Hence, Eddie Segovia, owner of Freddy's Wings & Wraps in Newark, Delaware, didn't waste any time offering self-order kiosks when his POS provider, Toast, made them available.

A Millennial places an order at Freddy's Wings & Wraps.

Segovia introduced kiosks in 2018, and he hasn't looked back. They now account for 98% of his orders, despite the fact that he also takes mobile orders for pickup and delivery.

"We decided to initially implement kiosk ordering in 2018 to shorten the wait time for customers looking to place an order," Segovia told Kiosk Marketplace in an email exchange. "Staffing was also an issue during the busy overnight shift."

Snackpass adds convenience

Last year, the company added Snackpass kiosks since Snackpass integrates with the University of Delaware students' off-campus meal plan. Snackpass accepts credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, and also offers a loyalty program and social networking capabilities.

"So it was a natural fit for us when considering kiosk providers," Segovia said.

The company now has six self-order kiosks at its original, 2,000-square-foot restaurant and three at its new, similar size Wilmington, Delaware restaurant.

Segovia attributed his sales doubling year-over-year almost exclusively to Snackpass.

Pandemic drives contactless orders

"The percentage of kiosk transactions has gradually increased since we initially implemented them in 2018 and added additional kiosks over the years," Segovia said. "It has grown exponentially since the onset of the pandemic given the desire for contactless transactions and now represents approximately 98% of total transactions. The only orders taken at the cashier are those paying with cash."

The company has not reduced its employee head count after introducing the kiosks. Instead, it has reassigned order takers to cooking, expediting orders and making sure orders are delivered to customers.

"We have a robust late-night business given our proximity to the University of Delaware, and we found that automating the front-of-house experience through the use of Snackpass kiosks and mobile ordering capabilities helped expedite the ordering process and was a better way to allocate our limited human resources," Segovia said.

The kiosks, which automatically recommend add-on sales, complement two manned checkout stations in each restaurant.

Automatic add-ons build tickets

"The kiosks prompt customers to add items to their orders based on a sophisticated algorithm that can sense items they may be missing from their order, so their order typically becomes bigger than if they hadn't ordered on the kiosk," he said.

Freddy's Wings & Wraps offers pickup in addition to delivery and on-site kiosk ordering.

Segovia was surprised at how easy the technology was for his staff and customers to use.

"They (the customers) love it and seem to like how easy and trendy Snackpass is," he said.

"Our busiest hours are from midnight to 3 a.m., when we have 10 to 15 employees working the line or expediting orders," he said. "On a particularly busy night, we can process more than 100 orders per hour, generating upwards of $3,000 per hour."

Snackpass has also helped Segovia launch three virtual brands: Main Street Subs, UDillas and Ike's Tender Shack. Customers are able to order these brands via their apps and pick them up in the store or have them delivered.

Segovia did not wish to reveal financial information.

Photos courtesy of Freddy's Wings & Wraps.