Don’t look for the counter and point-of-sale register to order and pay for a burrito—they aren’t any. At least if you happen to be in Taco Bell’s new digital-only restaurant in the Midtown Manhattan. The Times Square location will accept only mobile orders and also utilize self-service kiosks to select and pay for menu items.
Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) are following the preferences of consumers that are trending toward cashless and self-service orders. Chipotle and Starbucks are also pursuing digital-only order and pay as well. QSRs can have smaller stores and higher throughput at high volume locations. Consumers will welcome the convenience and immediacy of not waiting in line as well.
The following excerpt from a Nation’s Restaurant News article reports more on the topic:
Taco Bell announced Tuesday that the Yum Brands company is opening a new Cantina — complete with digital-only ordering kiosks, digital pickup cubbies, and exclusive menu items — in New York City’s Times Square on April 14. Taco Bell previously hinted at the opening of the “completely digital yet in-person experience” in March when the company outlined its growth plans and focus on new store layout concepts.
This will be the latest location of Taco Bell’s Cantina — the Irvine, Calif.-based company’s funky offshoot with 20+ locations, which usually offers alcoholic beverages and custom menus — and will be the first with a completely digital-only experience. The colorful Times Square Cantina will swap out analog menu boards and ordering counters for 10 digital kiosks where customers can place their orders in-person and pick them up at the front of the restaurant.
Overview by Raymond Pucci, Director, Merchant Services at Mercator Advisory Group