Last week, I had a particularly long, tiring day at work. As a teacher, days are very regularly long and tiring but the reward that comes with it is more than enough to get me through. Every so often, I need a little something more than that feeling of accomplishment and generally speaking, that little bit something more comes in the form of a McDonald’s double cheeseburger. We’ve all been there. The dread of arriving into a packed restaurant, with nowhere to sit and the added stress of having to wait for your order number to be called – the likelihood of you hearing your order number being called over the sound of the child wailing next to you looking less and less likely by the second.
McDonald’s have only gone and alleviated this stress, and they’ve done so in an innovative way.
Table service is something that McDonald’s has been doing for quite a while now- Rich and I experienced it first hand around six months ago for the first time, in a McDonald’s Restaurant in Haydock and we were both impressed on how quick and easy the system was to use. The McDonald’s team in Wallasey, along with a number of other restaurants nationwide,have taken the service that one step further, incorporating technology with this already well-established concept to make customer service even more commendable.
And the best thing about this? Absolutely nothing else in the ordering process has been changed, ensuring that it is still as easy to order your meal and have it personally delivered to your table than it is to collect it yourself from collection counters.
A step-by-step, fool proof guide to table service. (If this dummy can manage it, so can you!)
Enter your favourite McDonald’s restaurant and head on over to to a self-service kiosk.
At this point, you need to decide whether you’re going to eat in or takeaway. Presumably if you’re reading this guide, you’re all about eating in so go ahead and click that option.
Now, previously when I’ve made the decision to stay and eat in a McDonalds restaurant, you’re asked to select a zone where you’ll go and sit after making your order. Staff will then find you within this zone and deliver your food.
Here’s the interesting part: this is no longer an essential piece of information because McDonald’s have blown things out of the water and have inserted innovating technology into specially designed plastic table numbers. Inside the stylish table setting is a small tracker which allows customers to move freely around the restaurant without having to specify exactly where they were sitting. This all sounds far too good to be true, right? Wrong. The only piece of information you have to share with the crew members, via the ordering kiosk, is the number printed on the table setting. Enter that number onscreen when the kiosk requires and Bob’s your uncle! Done.
The rest of the process is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Pick out your usual order (or be adventurous and have a look at the restaurant’s specials if you’re feeling like a bit of a change!) The self-service kiosks are easy to use, have settings to make them accessible if you have additional needs and make the entire ordering process that little bit less stressful.
Pay for your order at the kiosk using your debit card or Apple pay.
Whizz off to find somewhere to sit and wait for your food to follow you!
It really is that easy. The tracker within the device notifies staff of any movement meaning that if you’re joined by a group of friends shortly after ordering and have to find a new, more sizeable table to sit on, then there is no risk of your food not being delivered to you promptly. Crew members who deliver your food do so with a smile – allowing for that little social interaction that is otherwise cut out when ordering traditionally on the kiosks – and they are quick to offer you condiments, straws and napkins upon delivery of your food.
I can already see the benefits of this kind of technology. I imagine that this would be an ideal scenario for parents with small children – a quick order made at a kiosk by one member of the party would make the process much more prompt and much less stressful as a result.
It’s fair to say that McDonald’s have done it again and changed customer outlook on stressful ordering systems. The entire process is quick and easy, ignites customer-crew interactions and is a hassle-free way of enjoying a delicious meal in a friendly environment. I cannot see what is next in store for McDonald’s – I hope I’ll be invited along for the ride!
