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McDonalds Using Picture-Based POS Screens To Boost Accuracy

Written by Evan Schuman
August 5th, 2007

McDonald’s is testing a POS unit that uses images to try and reduce the number of flawed orders.

This is indeed a concern for the fast-food leader because it has fared quite poorly in order accuracy, finishing 16th out of 25 restaurants this year and finishing 25th and 20th for accuracy the prior two years, according to this story in Chicago Business. The register, now in 10,000 of McDonald’s worldwide 32,000 restaurants, has a touch screen with large, colorful images of each menu item instead of small buttons with product abbreviations.

With an expanding menu and an increasing number of workers whose first language is not English, it will be easier to train employees with photos on the registers. McDonald’s CEO James Skinner is quoted as saying the new POS approach would improve accuracy 33 percent and allow restaurants to serve about a dozen more cars an hour.

Posted in Payment Systems
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3 Comments | Read McDonalds Using Picture-Based POS Screens To Boost Accuracy

  1. Vic Says:
    August 12th, 2007 at 6:47 pm

    Hi. The pic seems to show a screen with buttons that have small abbreviations on them. Does the pic show the new register being rolled out, or is that the pic of the register that is being replaced?
    Thanks.

  2. Evan Schuman Says:
    August 12th, 2007 at 8:00 pm

    Answer From Editor: Neither. That’s a file photo of a POS screen that has a bit of color in it. It’s intended to depict a generic POS screen image to illustrate the story.

  3. Bob Amster Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 10:18 am

    This is a perfect example of practiclity at work. Today we call it things like ergonomic design and human engineering. It always made sense, even when we didn’t have a fancy name for it.

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