Self-order kiosks in restaurants: when they are worth it and how the order reaches the kitchen

Why does a queue form at the counter?

With counter service, the same person takes the order, takes payment and answers questions. At peak times, the queue often forms at the very moment of ordering. The problem is sharper when the team is short-staffed: in 2025–2026, Romania's hospitality employers' federations and HORA name staff shortages among the sector's biggest problems.

A kiosk adds an ordering point without adding a person at the counter. Guests place their order and pay themselves, and the cashier stays free to hand over orders and help the guests who need it.

When is a self-order kiosk worth it?

A kiosk is worth it when the bottleneck is the ordering itself: guests queue to order, not to collect their food.

Where it usually fits:

• Counter service: fast food, fast casual, cafés and food courts, with peaks at lunchtime or in the evening.
• Menus with many extras: guests need time to choose, and at a kiosk they choose at their own pace, without the pressure of the queue behind them.
• One person takes orders and payments: at peak times, they cannot do both well.

Where to think twice:

• Full table service: guests expect a waiter. QR code table ordering fits better there.
• A small venue without queues: if the counter is never blocked, a kiosk solves a problem you do not have.

A kiosk does not fully replace the counter. Some guests will prefer to order from a person, and others will need help at the screen.

What guests do at the kiosk, step by step

1. Choose from the restaurant's menu on the self-service screen.
2. Configure items: extras and quantities.
3. Pay by card at the payment terminal.
4. The order goes to SELIO POS and SELIO KDS.

At the kiosk, guests pay no Service. For the equipment needed, such as the kiosk and the payment terminal, and for terms, write to hello@ariva.food.

How does a kiosk order reach the kitchen?

An order sent from the kiosk reaches two places: SELIO POS, where the team sees it alongside the other orders, and SELIO KDS, the kitchen screen.

In SELIO KDS, its path looks like this:

• Routing to stations. The order appears in real time at the prep station responsible for its items. One item or category can go to several stations, and one screen can show several stations.
• Alerts. Each new order plays a sound. Tickets that have been waiting a long time turn yellow, then orange, then red.
• Peak times. Orders are shown oldest first, and an urgent one can be moved to the front with the Prioritize Orders feature.
• Completion. The cook marks the order DONE, and it moves to the list of completed orders, synced across all KDS screens.

SELIO KDS runs as an app on Android devices and Android TV. The screen is created in Selio Manager, under KDS devices, and connected with a pairing code.

One thing to check at installation: if an item is not assigned to any station, the order does not appear on any KDS screen. Send a test order and watch where it appears.

What changes for the team, and what to settle first

The cashier no longer takes every order, and the kitchen receives exactly what the guest chose, without anyone retyping it. Roles change a little:

• the cashier hands over orders and looks after guests who still order at the counter or need help at the screen;
• the kitchen sets the pace: at peak times, orders can arrive faster than a single cashier would have taken them;
• in the first few days, it helps to have someone next to the kiosk to show guests how it works.

Before installation, settle:

• Location: visible from the entrance, without blocking the counter queue or the collection area.
• Menu: clear photos, descriptions and extras. At the kiosk, guests have no one to ask.
• Kitchen: prep stations created in SELIO KDS and every item assigned to a station.
• Team: who hands over orders, who watches the KDS and who helps guests at the screen.
• Cost: ARIVA is free for the restaurant, with no subscription and no commission, and guests pay no Service at the kiosk. For SELIO terms and equipment, write to hello@ariva.food.

On ariva.food you can see what a kiosk order looks like and how it reaches SELIO POS and the kitchen. For questions about your restaurant, write to hello@ariva.food. You create the experience. ARIVA makes ordering simple.