Overview
Flakes Diner, based in the UK, is a well-known late-night spot in the casual dining and dessert space. With a steady mix of families, students and local residents, the diner regularly sees high footfall, particularly during peak evening hours. As demand grew, maintaining fast service and smooth operations became essential, prompting the team to look for solutions that could manage order volumes efficiently without compromising overall service quality. Flakes Diner serves a broad mix of customers, from families who value personal, hands-on service to students and late-night visitors who prefer quick, self-service convenience. Recognising these different expectations, the team introduced the Foodhub Self-Ordering Kiosk to give customers the choice of how they order. While staff continue delivering warm, direct service where needed, the kiosk provides a fast, independent option for those who want efficiency. This balance has reduced front-of-house pressure during busy periods while improving overall customer satisfaction.
The Challenge
Flakes Diner faced several operational challenges during peak service times, particularly late in the evenings. During these busy hours, large volumes of customers arrived at once, creating pressure on the small front-of-house team. Staff were required to handle multiple responsibilities, greeting guests, taking orders, preparing items, and maintaining service quality, all at the same time. The main issue centred around order overload. With orders coming in rapidly and queues building up, the staff struggled to keep pace. This led to: Orders piling up faster than staff could process; Increased waiting times for customers; Staff becoming overstretched and fatigued; Slow and inconsistent service flow during peak hours. These challenges made it difficult to maintain the dining experience Flakes Diner was known for. This highlighted the need for a solution that would ease the burden on staff, streamline customer flow, and increase order efficiency.
The Impact
Once operational, the kiosk quickly absorbed a significant share of incoming orders, reducing counter congestion and easing pressure on the front-of-house team. During peak evening rushes, it streamlined order flow, shortened queues, and allowed staff to focus more on food preparation and customer interaction. As a result, Flakes Diner achieved both immediate relief during busy periods and sustained improvements in service efficiency and overall customer experience.
Execution Steps
Positioning the kiosk in a high-visibility, easy-access area
Designing a user-friendly interface optimised for quick ordering
Training staff to handle kiosk-generated orders alongside manual ones
Integrating the kiosk with the existing Foodhub EPOS system for seamless processing