Choose a self-ordering kiosk that fits your busiest ordering workflow, works with your payment and kitchen setup, and has a total installed cost you can support. If you already use Toast, Square or Clover, start by asking what kiosk configuration works with your current account. Compare that quote and workflow with a Fleksa demonstration before committing.
A kiosk can move order entry away from the counter, but it does not remove the need for a staffed fallback, a workable pickup process or enough kitchen capacity. The best choice is the one guests can complete without frequent help and your team can handle during a real rush.
Define the job your kiosk needs to do
Start with the queue, not the screen. Watch a busy service period and identify where guests wait. If the line builds because one employee takes orders while also answering menu questions, another order-entry point may help. If orders are already reaching the kitchen faster than the cooks can prepare them, a kiosk could simply move the line from the register to the pickup shelf.
Write down the specific job you want the kiosk to handle. A counter-service restaurant might want guests ordering standard lunch combinations to enter their own selections while an employee handles cash and complicated requests. A restaurant with many first-time visitors might instead need a screen that makes menu choices clear without leaving guests stranded.
Next, map the menu. List the items with required choices, optional additions and substitutions. Bring a difficult but common order to each demonstration: for example, an entree with a required side, a removed ingredient and an added sauce. Ask the vendor to show how the guest makes those choices and how the kitchen receives them. A polished home screen matters less than a clear final order.
Consider the physical space too. A kiosk needs an approach area and room for a guest to pause without blocking the entrance, counter or pickup line. Check where power, connectivity and any payment device would sit. Ask how the equipment is secured and who handles maintenance.
Some guests will prefer or need help. Plan where an employee will stand, how a guest can get attention and how to take an order if the kiosk is unavailable. Ask vendors to demonstrate accessibility features relevant to your guests, including readable text, reach, navigation and any assistive options. Do not assume a product or installation meets every applicable requirement; review your site and obligations with an appropriate professional.
Compare vendors by workflow and dependencies
Use the same order, payment scenarios and handoff questions with every vendor. A useful comparison is not just a feature checklist: it shows what staff and guests must actually do from the first tap through pickup. Get setup requirements and costs in writing, especially if you expect the kiosk to work with equipment you already own.
| Option | What to verify | Decision point |
|---|---|---|
| Toast | Available kiosk configuration, account requirements, payment setup and kitchen routing | Can it use your existing setup, and what must change? |
| Square | Current kiosk offering or supported arrangement, hardware, payments and order handoff | Is the complete configuration available for your restaurant? |
| Clover | Current kiosk offering or supported arrangement, provider requirements and ongoing support | Who supplies and supports each part of the system? |
| Fleksa | Kiosk setup, payment compatibility, hardware quote and connections to your workflow | Does the demonstrated flow meet your menu and handoff needs? |
Toast, Square and Clover
For each, ask the vendor or your provider to identify the exact kiosk product or supported arrangement currently available to you. Confirm whether it requires a particular POS account, payment processor, software plan or hardware package. Request an itemized quote and a demonstration of your menu, including how changes reach the kitchen. Do not assume your existing contract or device is compatible without written confirmation.
Fleksa
Fleksa's restaurant kiosk page describes menu browsing, item customization, order review and possible suggested add-ons. Tip and SMS receipt options depend on setup. Ask which hardware, payment configuration and installation services are available for your location, and see your own menu demonstrated. Review integrations and confirm any connection you need for your particular system.
For every option, ask who owns the menu, who updates prices and how quickly changes appear. Have the vendor show how an order reaches the kitchen, how it is identified for pickup and what happens when an item sells out. If an outside provider supplies a piece of the setup, establish who takes the first support call when an order does not arrive.
Also ask which payment methods your proposed configuration supports, what fees apply and what happens during an internet or payment interruption. Require a clear fallback rather than assuming offline payments will work. If guests cannot pay at the kiosk in a scenario you need to support, determine whether staff can complete those orders without creating a second bottleneck.
Build a conservative total-cost model
Compare the full cost of an operating kiosk, not just a monthly software fee. Request separate amounts for hardware, software, installation, payment equipment, maintenance and support. Include any network or electrical work your site needs. Ask whether the quote covers one terminal, multiple locations or other limits, and check the contract length and cancellation terms.
For Fleksa's current published plan details, review the plans page, checked in November 2026, and ask for a kiosk-specific quote. A plan page alone may not establish the cost of your hardware, installation or payment setup. For Toast, Square and Clover, obtain written quotes for the configurations you are considering rather than comparing unverified prices.
Hypothetical example: Assume one kiosk costs $2,400 to purchase and install. Spread that upfront amount over 24 months for comparison: $100 per month. Add assumed monthly software of $250, support of $80, connectivity of $40 and maintenance allowance of $30. The modeled monthly total is $500.
That $500 includes the allocated setup cost and the four listed monthly amounts. It excludes payment processing, taxes, financing, equipment replacement beyond the allowance and any additional site work. Add those costs when you have actual quotes. The 24-month allocation is a budgeting assumption, not a promise about the equipment's life or the contract term.
Now estimate capacity carefully. Suppose 30 orders per day move from the counter to the kiosk over 20 operating days, and each would otherwise take an employee two minutes to enter. That is 600 orders and 1,200 minutes, or 20 hours, of order-entry time per month. At an assumed $18 per hour, the time has a nominal value of $360.
The $360 is not automatic payroll savings. The employee may still be needed for payment exceptions, questions, packing and pickup. If those 20 hours are genuinely available for other work, they may reduce pressure on the team or support another task. If the schedule cannot change, treat the value as capacity rather than cash saved. Against the modeled $500 monthly cost, the nominal time value alone is $140 short, before the excluded costs.
Ask what else would need to improve for the purchase to make sense: shorter waits, more reliable order entry or staff time spent on a task you can measure. Do not add hoped-for extra sales to the calculation without evidence from your own operation.
Run a pilot that follows the order
Agree on the pilot terms before equipment arrives. Establish the dates, total charges, training, support hours and what happens to the hardware if you stop. Choose a period with enough normal service to observe both quiet and busy shifts. A single unusually slow lunch will not tell you much about a Friday rush.
Capture a baseline first. During comparable service periods, record counter order volume, observed wait time, order corrections and staff questions. Note kitchen and pickup delays separately. Then collect the same observations with the kiosk available. Keep menu, staffing and hours as consistent as practical, and note changes that could affect the comparison.
Use four measures to see the complete workflow:
- Completion: Count kiosk sessions started and orders completed. Divide completed orders by started sessions, and record abandoned sessions separately. Ask the vendor how sessions are counted so browsing is not mistaken for a failed order.
- Staff assistance: Count kiosk orders where an employee had to help, and note the reason. A few menu questions are different from repeated payment or navigation problems.
- Errors and corrections: Record orders corrected after submission and the cause when known. Separate guest selection mistakes from menu configuration and kitchen handoff issues.
- Handoff: Check whether each sampled order reaches the kitchen with the right choices and can be matched to the guest at pickup. Record missing tickets, unclear modifications and delays.
Review counts by shift as well as in total. If completion is good at lunch but staff assistance spikes at dinner, observe what changed: lighting, crowding, menu choices or the availability of an employee nearby. Ask staff to note recurring questions in plain language. Do not treat an employee's extra work as invisible just because the guest placed the order on a screen.
Include a fallback drill in the agreed demonstration or pilot. Ask staff to walk through an unavailable kiosk, a payment problem and an order that needs correction. Confirm who contacts support and how the guest gets served. For accessibility, observe whether the placement and interface work for the people using them, and follow up on issues without assuming that observation alone establishes compliance.
Make the decision with your team
At the end of the pilot, compare the measured results with the problem you wrote down at the start. A kiosk that handles simple orders but creates frequent kitchen corrections may not solve a counter bottleneck. One that guests complete reliably but blocks the pickup area may need a different placement. Include employee feedback and the full quoted cost in the decision.
Set a practical threshold before signing: for example, a completion rate your team considers workable, a maximum level of staff assistance and no recurring handoff problem left unresolved. These are your operating targets, not universal benchmarks. If the results fall short, ask whether a menu change, better placement or additional training addresses the cause, then decide whether another trial is worth its cost.
Bring your difficult sample orders, floor plan, payment requirements and cost worksheet to a Fleksa kiosk demonstration. Request an itemized quote and ask the team to show the complete order-to-kitchen and pickup flow before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a restaurant self-ordering kiosk cost?
The total depends on the hardware, software, installation, support and payment setup you choose. Get an itemized quote, add site work and processing costs, and compare the full contract term rather than the screen price alone.
Should a restaurant using Toast, Square or Clover switch systems for a kiosk?
Not necessarily. First confirm what kiosk arrangement works with your existing account and what it costs. Compare that workflow and its dependencies with alternatives before deciding whether a change is justified.
Can a kiosk replace a cashier?
Do not assume it will. Guests may need help, some payments or corrections may require staff, and orders still need to be prepared and handed off. Measure the time genuinely available for other work during a pilot.
