Whether it's due to inefficient ordering processes, labor shortages, or long lines, slow service can frustrate customers and tarnish the dining experience. In a region where simplicity and speed are highly valued, QSRs must leverage the right tools to streamline operations if they hope to stay competitive. Here are three challenges QSRs in Latin America are experiencing, and how technology can help.
1. Slow ordering processes
When consumers choose to eat at a fast food or QSR restaurant their expectations are already set – they want to get their food as fast as possible. But many restaurants fall short when it comes to speed of service; in many cases, customers still have to queue at the counter to place their orders. This tends to extend wait times, especially during peak hours such as lunch or dinner, while also putting more pressure on front-of-house employees who may already be overwhelmed due to staffing shortages.
To ensure they can serve guests quickly, restaurants need to deploy technology that can speed up ordering and put more power into the customers’ hands. By implementing self-service kiosks or QR codes, restaurants can serve more customers at the same time, while also freeing up staff to focus on customer service and order fulfillment. Self ordering technologies also empower customers to add or remove ingredients from their dishes and customize it exactly how they want – hold the lettuce, add extra mayo, and tack on some avocado – helping restaurants avoid errors that could make the ordering process take even longer.
2. Poor kitchen management
Many restaurants are still using traditional pen and paper processes that leave them at risk of wrong or misplaced orders. Not only does this slow down the ordering process, but it also creates unhappy customers and damages loyalty.
That’s why quick service restaurants need technology like kitchen display systems (KDS), which enables them to send orders straight from the POS to the kitchen and get them out to their customers faster – no matter if they placed their order with a server or at a self-service kiosk. KDS systems can also significantly reduce wait times by routing orders to the correct kitchen preparation stations, ensuring they’re prepared accurately, in the right order, and delivered at the right time.
3. Maintaining prices and promotions
With fluctuating costs, seasonal promotions, and developing market conditions, QSRs must maintain accurate pricing and promotion information across all their locations to avoid discrepancies and ensure consistency. However, doing this can prove difficult, as many restaurants still use a patchwork of different systems to manage their business. Not only does this require a lot of time-consuming manual work, but it’s also unreliable and prone to human error.
To overcome this challenge, QSRs should consider implementing a single restaurant management system like LS Central, which allows them to update their prices and promotions centrally and automatically send the changes to all their different touchpoints. Having this capability ensures that restaurants can maintain accurate pricing across all their locations, improve promotional effectiveness, and keep customers satisfied with their business.
Want to know more about how to improve operations in your quick service restaurant? Look no further! Our experts can help. Contact us.
