Kiosks are an investment, so you need to know they’ll pay their way. Your self service kiosk ROI comes from four places, and once operators see the numbers most wonder why they waited so long. Here’s how to build the business case.
Every operator asks the same question before buying: will a self-service kiosk pay for itself? For most busy venues the answer is yes – and often faster than expected. Here’s how to build the business case.
The four ways kiosks make money
1. Higher average order value
A kiosk shows every customer the meal upgrade, the extra side and the premium option, every time. Picture-led menus and prompts consistently lift basket size compared with a rushed conversation at the till.
2. More transactions at peak
Several customers can order in parallel instead of waiting for one till. Fewer walk-outs at peak means more covers served.
3. Better use of labour
Staff move from taking orders to preparing food, running orders and looking after customers – without adding headcount.
4. Fewer errors and refunds
Customers enter their own orders and modifiers, so fewer meals are remade.
A simple ROI formula
- Extra margin per day = (extra orders at peak x average margin) + (orders through kiosk x uplift in spend x margin).
- Labour value = hours redeployed per day x hourly cost.
- Payback (days) = total kiosk cost / (extra margin + labour value per day).
Use your own figures – we’re happy to help you model them with real HiStone hardware pricing.
Keeping total cost of ownership low
- Choose the right platform – Android kiosks such as the HS150K keep hardware costs down; Windows kiosks like the HS150 and HS330U suit established EPOS software.
- Integrated peripherals – built-in 2D scanners and printers mean fewer parts to fail.
- UK support – in-house repairs and UK-held spares minimise downtime.
- Pre-configuration – units arrive imaged and tested, cutting installation time.
Start with a pilot
Install one or two kiosks in your busiest site, measure average spend, queue length and staff hours for four weeks, then roll out with confidence. See our self-ordering kiosk guide for model choices.
Self service kiosk ROI FAQs
Will kiosks replace my staff?
Most operators redeploy staff to service and production rather than reduce headcount.
Can I lease kiosks?
Many of our reseller partners offer finance and leasing on complete kiosk solutions.
Related guides
Let’s get your kiosks live
From a single café kiosk to a nationwide rollout, we’ve done it all. B-Spoke Systems is one of the UK’s leading EPOS distributors and the UK and Ireland home of HiStone, with kiosks in stock in Leicester, pre-configured and tested before they ship.
Call us on 0116 260 3100, email sales@b-spokesystems.com or get a quote online. Prefer to see it first? Book a visit to our Leicester showroom.