Food & Beverage: The Aramark Era begins

[jon81uk]

It's all about the bottom line. I think Self Service is good as an option, but when you're in a theme park, the member of staff have the opportunity to sparkle some joy in a guest's day.

Not the case with screens.

I don’t think the fast food workers were really doing anything special. I’d rather the park put the effort into better staffing at the full service places like Woodcutters.

Mc Donald’s was waaaaaay quicker before self service came in. It’s a ruddy nightmare now

That’s more because each sandwich now is built to order rather than sat in a hot cabinet waiting. You could order with a human and still have a wait for the sandwich to be made.

 

[AstroDan]

I don’t think the fast food workers were really doing anything special. I’d rather the park put the effort into better staffing at the full service places like Woodcutters.


That’s more because each sandwich is built to order rather than sat in a hot cabinet waiting. You could order with a human and still have a wait for the sandwich to be made.

Fair enough - service quality at the counter services places has usually been a non-event.

 

[DistortAMG]

I don’t think the fast food workers were really doing anything special. I’d rather the park put the effort into better staffing at the full service places like Woodcutters.


That’s more because each sandwich now is built to order rather than sat in a hot cabinet waiting. You could order with a human and still have a wait for the sandwich to be made.

Made to order I guess. Loosely at best.

The finished complete burger is not sitting in a hot cabinet waiting. But the cooked burger is. They do not cook the burger patties fresh per order. They are kept in a hot cabinet, the difference between then and now is when you order your burger now, the burger is assembled to order. So you get a fresh bun etc, it is just the patty itself which has been sat waiting. Arguably better than before.

I think at Alton, they kept all their burgers sat in a hot cabinet waiting did they not? I suppose that makes sense at a place like Alton, especially when the crowds are busy.

 

[rob666]

I used to love going into McDonalds, looking at what was ready on the heated shelf, buy one of those available, in cash, at the counter, and be out of the place in less than a minute.
Those days are long gone,
This is progress?

 

[GaryH]

Problem now is if I pop in for just a hamburger, I can’t go up to the desk and someone grab one off the shelf quickly, I have to wait until my order number comes around, which when you factor in all these delivery companies could mean a 10-15 minute wait now.

It’s not progress. Self service machines are fine in some settings (ticket collection for example) but in others it is just promoting an insular unfriendly society and poor customer service.

 

[WillPS]

Problem now is if I pop in for just a hamburger, I can’t go up to the desk and someone grab one off the shelf quickly, I have to wait until my order number comes around, which when you factor in all these delivery companies could mean a 10-15 minute wait now.

It’s not progress. Self service machines are fine in some settings (ticket collection for example) but in others it is just promoting an insular unfriendly society and poor customer service.

I'm not sure anyone really went to McDonalds for "great customer service" though. At best you get common pleasancy, but even then I never expect it - that's before and after their order model changed.

Those days are long gone,
This is progress?

Quite a lot ended up in the bin, either having sat on the counter too long and being binned by restaurants rotating it correctly, or worse by customer having paid for something which should have gone in the bin from a restaurant where they weren't rotating properly.

It's been a long time since I had a manky order from McDonalds.

 

[Danny]

F&B in a theme park is part of the wider experience regardless of expectations. RCR is the perfect example, albeit let down by its inconsistent quality of food. The sit-down meals in the hotels I've really enjoyed have partly come from when staff have been upbeat and chatty, and I've felt compelled to leave positive feedback. It's a crucial touchpoint for interaction that can make all the difference when done correctly.

There is absolutely every opportunity for customer-facing staff in F&B to make a good impression in a theme park - there just needs to be genuine effort behind it. If the everyday guest is only visiting for their once-a-year treat, and they're having a miserable day from copious amounts of queuing and overworked ride staff, F&B is absolutely another touchpoint to improve the overall guest experience. A screen with minimal human contact other than being handed a bag just adds further insult to injury in some cases.

Edit: Perfect example at a Merlin park - banter with the staff member providing/topping up the beer lanyards in Gardaland following a comment you wouldn't get this in a UK park. Take that away and replace it with a screen and the experience would have been soulless.

 

[jon81uk]

Problem now is if I pop in for just a hamburger, I can’t go up to the desk and someone grab one off the shelf quickly, I have to wait until my order number comes around, which when you factor in all these delivery companies could mean a 10-15 minute wait now.

It’s not progress. Self service machines are fine in some settings (ticket collection for example) but in others it is just promoting an insular unfriendly society and poor customer service.

I assume you know your first and second paragraphs are not connected? McDonalds new method of building sandwiches to order means there is nothing on the hot shelf. They still have the chance to give great customer service and the few times I've had an issues in McDonalds recently they have really failed to give good service.

For me self-service is an improvement, much easier to customise as don't feel presured having to tell someone "no onions" and ensure they put it on the right item, can select it yourself and know the order is correct. If I am overseas i can change the language of the machine to English so again no worries about incorrect orders.
I don't see it as promoting poor customer service as the staff should now have more time and ability to offer better service, not worse.

 

[Rob]

I'll be interested to see how these self service kiosks deal with annual pass discount. Have they finally got a system in place where all they need to do is scan the pass barcode? Long overdue if so! Let's hope it's not a case of having to type in your rather long pass number.

 

[George W]

I'll be interested to see how these self service kiosks deal with annual pass discount. Have they finally got a system in place where all they need to do is scan the pass barcode? Long overdue if so! Let's hope it's not a case of having to type in your rather long pass number.

Yea they do, mentioned in theme park worldwide's vlog

 

[jon81uk]

F&B in a theme park is part of the wider experience regardless of expectations. RCR is the perfect example, albeit let down by its inconsistent quality of food. The sit-down meals in the hotels I've really enjoyed have partly come from when staff have been upbeat and chatty, and I've felt compelled to leave positive feedback. It's a crucial touchpoint for interaction that can make all the difference when done correctly.

I agree that staff can make a great day, but I would rather as you say the park concentrate on the waited service places. The fast food is so transactional anyway I think a staff member trying to eek out a conversation with a guest who just wants to grab food and eat might make things worse. Quick polite service is best in that sort of situation.

 

[Mattie boy]

I'll be interested to see how these self service kiosks deal with annual pass discount. Have they finally got a system in place where all they need to do is scan the pass barcode? Long overdue if so! Let's hope it's not a case of having to type in your rather long pass number.

Last couple of years at some locations you just had a annual pass button when paying, no proof was even needed !

 

[GaryH]

I don't see it as promoting poor customer service as the staff should now have more time and ability to offer better service, not worse.

If that’s the case why do most staff in self service areas, such as supermarkets and McDonald’s look more rushed off their feet and knackered than before self service?? One poor person in Tesco now manning 10 self service tills!

Maybe it’s an age thing, I guess younger people don’t remember being able to phone a business and get straight through with no waiting, or being able to go to a shop or a bank for that matter and get decent service and help. I suppose as time has progressed things as far as I have seen have got worse, but if you’re born into that world and know no different, I guess it’s accepted as the norm now.

 

[RicketyCricket]

If that’s the case why do most staff in self service areas, such as supermarkets and McDonald’s look more rushed off their feet and knackered than before self service?? One poor person in Tesco now manning 10 self service tills!

Maybe it’s an age thing, I guess younger people don’t remember being able to phone a business and get straight through with no waiting, or being able to go to a shop or a bank for that matter and get decent service and help. I suppose as time has progressed things as far as I have seen have got worse, but if you’re born into that world and know no different, I guess it’s accepted as the norm now.

I've noticed this particularly in London pubs in recent years. I guess it's because they struggle to retain staff but the service in general has plummeted whilst the prices continue to go up.

 

[James]

In supermarkets there is still the option to go to a till with a human being, in McDonalds (or any other fast food place) there's still the option to go to the till and order/pay for your food.

I understand the complaints about self-service (I went through an ordeal with a Premier Inn self-service check-in) but in most cases, there is still the option to do it the 'old-fashioned way'. It's not like you're forced to use a self-checkout desk/self-service machine.

I don't see an issue with these outlets at Towers having touch screens, it's no different to your local Burger King or KFC with screens.

 

[Steve74]

...I went through an ordeal with a Premier Inn self-service check-in...

You weren't one of the people featured in Saturday Night Takeaway's hidden camera segment at the weekend were you?!

 

[GaryH]

@James I hear what you’re saying… but…. In the case of Towers for example you’ll have just one small desk to go to if you want to interact with a human. In a bank thesedays you’re forced to use machines. In McDonald’s you’ll be lucky if there is anyone serving at the one manned desk.

While there might be an option to use a human being, my point is the self service option is pretty much forced on people. It’s like woodcutters last year. I stood at the bar for nearly 10 minutes with all the staff ignoring me (and another chap) until eventually one of them said “order through the app, it’ll be quicker”.

As it stood I just had a question but I’d someone had the decency to actually take my order at the bar it would have been done in 20 seconds. To use the app would have taken longer.

One last thing that springs to mind, I popped into Matalan with my dad the other week. It’s a shop I hardly ever go in and all the manned checkouts are gone and replaced by self service machines. Not only do you scan yourself, they also expect you to remove all the security tags. My dad wasn’t sure what to do and the queue for the single manned desk was huge (this was dealing with refunds, exchanges, enquiries etc).

I can see this being the same in the hotels at peak times with one staff member having to deal with 4 self service machines and all the enquiries. I just don’t see how this improves guest/customer experience.

Anyway this debate could go on and on. While I agree in some areas self service works, it shouldn’t ever be at the expense of customer service or experience.

 

[rob666]

In supermarkets there is still the option to go to a till with a human being, in McDonalds (or any other fast food place) there's still the option to go to the till and order/pay for your food.

I understand the complaints about self-service (I went through an ordeal with a Premier Inn self-service check-in) but in most cases, there is still the option to do it the 'old-fashioned way'. It's not like you're forced to use a self-checkout desk/self-service machine.

I don't see an issue with these outlets at Towers having touch screens, it's no different to your local Burger King or KFC with screens.

In my local Tesco extra, the till early on is often unmanned, or overloaded with a punter delivering three parcels and returning four more...and there is nothing more embarrassing than shouting "HELLO!" two or three times to get served at an empty till.
The self serve tills also refuse cash now...why?
I have very dry skin due to my job, touchscreens don't like me at all, neither does my tumble dryer.
Often access to "the old fashioned way" is unsigned, unstaffed, or the "wrong staff" are serving, without access to the actual till.
Sometimes massive queues force you to use self serve, because only one of four tills is actually open...looking at you M&S Blackburn.

 

[kydog1299]

I don’t see an issue with self service. Particularly in the case of high street restaurant chains, business models have been destroyed through rising food, labour and energy costs. Of course a business will try to protect their profit margin through automating some processes or putting the ordering journey onto the customer. As long as that ordering journey works and delivers a decent digital experience, I see no issue. And as long as there’s some provisions for cash payments/those who struggle with screens.

On the point to do with McDonald’s issues with speed and experience, the biggest driver/problem is the delivery service. The kitchens just aren’t equipped to deal with the numerous channels they offer- drive thru, delivery, eat-in, walk-in takeaway, click and serve etc. Every food business has struggled to maintain a good customer experience/service speed since the inception of delivery, because it was implemented before the restaurant infrastructure was in place; every business jumped on it before they understood its impact. You’ll see that McDonald’s are trying to change the layouts of all of their estate to fix the problems Delivery has brought. And they’re not the exception- most F&B businesses which are multi-channel are doing the same.

I have no issues with the screens in QSR at Towers. I think it’s what customers expect now in QSR.

 

[djtruefitt]

To be fair during the past few years in burger kitchen and just chicken they simply removed a load of tills so it didn’t look bad when they never had the staff to man them (remember when fried chicken had like 10 tills across the front?), this was similar time when they went to the collection method, and was clearly a way for them to cut costs massively. Gone were 10 staff on the tills, you were left with 3 staff on the tills and 1 doing all the food.

So you’ll probably now be able to order your food much quicker, as there are now 6 order points in just chicken (you’ll never get 6 open tills during the past few years) and there are 8 order points in burger kitchen.

However I think the issue you’ll then find is that because the orders will go to the kitchen quicker, they just won’t be able to cope. I imagine they would have cut staff to have these new screens, and you’ll just have loads and loads of people stood waiting for their food and drinks.

Also burger kitchen looks stupid the way they have just moved the tvs from the back wall to above this new half wall (which is randomly branded nothing like the rest of burger kitchen). I would have thought it would make more sense to put the order points under the screens and not randomly at the side.

In terms of paying for cash, there’s no mention of it, but I did notice a till at Just chicken, but sure they’ll go out of their way to make you not order and pay at the counter.

And there is just a button on the screen for pass discount, it just takes 20% off straight away (so great if you’ve got a basic pass and should only get 10%). I’m sure they won’t ask for a pass, as they won’t even know you’ve used a pass on their order screens.