BurgerFi believes it has found a way to improve the order accuracy of its customers' self-designed burgers: Kiosks.
The North Palm Beach, Fla.-based better-burger chain has been testing kiosks at one of its restaurants, and is preparing to expand the test this year. Ultimately, BurgerFi CEO Corey Winograd said, kiosks could find their way into most of the chain’s restaurants.
"Order accuracy is really a major reason," Winograd said. "One of our missions is to ensure 100-percent order accuracy. Customers can customize and choose from a multitude of toppings. The kiosk allows the guest to specifically select each topping individually. That ensures greater order accuracy."
For BurgerFi, which has 91 locations, the kiosk test is not so much a labor-saving initiative as it is a service improvement. Kiosks enable the chain to allocate labor to other areas of the restaurant while maintaining staff counts.
"This is a supplement," Winograd said. "It creates a different selling area in the restaurant. Logistically, it also creates great efficiency. But BurgerFi is a brand built on people."
Winograd said the early kiosk test has gone well. More customers have grown used to it, and "the percentage of customers using the kiosk has increased dramatically week over week."
"Consumers, especially younger consumers, really enjoy using technology in all aspects of their life," he said. "We thought that would be a draw for Millennials.
"We think for many of our existing stores, we’ll add kiosks, and self-serve kiosks will be a staple of our stores going forward."
Kiosks are getting more attention in the industry amid a competitive environment and growing concern over rising labor costs. Many executives see self-order kiosks to be a strategy for improving labor efficiency.
St. Louis-based Panera Bread Co. has been particularly aggressive in adding kiosks, and McDonald's Corp. is likewise working on kiosks at restaurants around the world.
BurgerFi was founded in Florida, in 2011, when industry veteran David Manero opened a burger restaurant in Delray Beach based on a popular burger recipe from one of his restaurants. The concept was popular, a second location opened, and the company ultimately decided to franchise.
But the fast-casual burger segment grows more competitive by the day. Five Guys, Smashburger, Shake Shack and Habit Burger Grill continue to add locations at a rapid clip. And Chipotle Mexican Grill is jumping into the fray with a concept of its own, Tasty Made, which debuted this week.
Innovations like the kiosk are required for the chain to keep pace.
“You have to innovate,” Winograd said. “You have to leverage new opportunities, in terms of food offerings and in terms of the restaurant experience. Technology plays a part of that.”
The burger was remarkably popular, and has been added to the permanent menu. It accounts for 6 percent of sales.
For instance, in the spring BurgerFi introduced the CEO Burger, with two Wagyu and brisket-blended beef patties topped with aged Swiss cheese, a candied bacon-tomato jam and garlic-truffle aioli.
“We evolve and offer spectacular products that are the result of our chefs,” Winograd said. “We weren’t founded by fast-food executives. We are gourmet chef inspired. That’s what we need to focus on to address the challenges we face through competition, through labor issues and food cost issues.”
BurgerFi is on track to add 28 locations this year, and plans to open 35 units next year. Four of the locations opening this year will be in other countries. The chain recently opened its first restaurant in London, from entrepreneur Jamie Wood, son of Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood, and is planning a second unit there later this year or early next.
The chain is also working to open a unit in Panama City, and is opening a location in Kuwait.
"We're opening in communities where families are looking for a fast-casual experience," Winograd said. "Fast is not synonymous with fast food. Fast is synonymous with food being delivered in six to seven minutes. It doesn’t mean you just quickly dine and leave."
Contact Jonathan Maze at [email protected]
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