When Hope Optical's owner Cindy Koszegi wants a pizza, she opens up the Pizza Hut app.
Koszegi said that the app gives her deals unavailable by phone, and if her ordering gets interrupted because a client comes in, she does not have to restart the process all over. She can also specify when she wants to pick the pizza up.
“It's a convenience thing and it's a smart financial decision because of the deals you can get,” said Koszegi.
Koszegi's ordering experience reflects a trend in Hope where customers and businesses in Hope have turned to technology to ensure they skip the line and wait less for their food and beverage.
In mid-January, the Blue Moose Coffee House also launched its app that allows customers to order most items on their menu, pay with a credit card and pick it up at a time they specify.
“The app is overdue for here,” said owner Wes Bergmann.
Bergmann said the app allows customers to avoid lineups, especially during summertime.
“A lot of people mentioned to me, they'd love to come order a latte or get a coffee, or something, but the lineup's too much,” said Bergmann. “For people that have half-hour lunches, they can come pick it up and have a half-hour lunch.
“It will be ready.”
Their app can be downloaded off a smartphone's app store.
Every order goes directly to the baristas and kitchen staff.
The ability to foresee orders allows staff to make items beforehand. Bergmann said staff will make items up to 20 minutes before the specified order time.
“Obviously, if you want your coffee hot, we're not going to make that coffee at 20-to, but it does give us the ability to get some things prepared that aren't time sensitive, like a muffin,” said Bergmann.
Customers would bring in a confirmation number and pick up their order. Bergmann said they will create a designated place for these app orders, although he expects that he will have a person in the summer to oversee this.
As the app is still new, Bergmann welcomes feedback and suggestions.
Similarly, Hope's McDonald's also has installed six self-service kiosks. These kiosks are touchscreen monitors where people can order and pay for their food and drink.
“Basically, it gives us more order-taking points, so that people will not spend their time on waiting in the lineup,” said owner Stephen Yeung.
He added that each person can take 60-90 seconds when ordering at the counter, hence a person third in line can wait three to four minutes before he or she gets to the front.
Yeung emphasizes that adopting this technology's purpose is to enhance the customer's satisfaction, rather than to manage the high volumes in summertime.
“The only thing that I would comment differently will be — we do it on a bigger scale versus other McDonald's restaurant because we know we have a big summer volume,” said Yeung. “No matter what, we would go down that route because it's better for the guest experience.”
Yeung said McDonald's had to hire more kitchen staff to keep up with the orders as a result of the self-service kiosk and no staff member lost their jobs as a result of this.
“We put new technology, but we didn't take [away] the manpower. We just wanted to make sure the manpower is more effectively being used,” said Yeung.