Self-order kiosk
A self ordering kiosk for restaurants in India, on a tablet
AirQR's self-order kiosk is a tablet at your counter where guests order and pay for themselves. They choose Eat here or Take away, tap big dish tiles, pay by UPI or at the counter, and get a token number. The order lands on your kitchen, bar or pickup screens like any other, so you need fewer hands at the till.
- Runs on a counter tablet
- Pay by UPI or at the counter
- Token number for every order
What is a self service kiosk for a restaurant?
A self service kiosk is a screen where guests place and pay for their own order, instead of standing in a queue to tell a cashier. You may have seen the big standing machines in large fast food chains.
AirQR takes a simpler route. The kiosk is a tablet that you stand on the counter. It shows your menu in big, touch friendly tiles, takes the order, collects payment in the way you choose, and gives the guest a token. It is a kiosk ordering system built for a counter in an Indian café, quick service restaurant, food court or bar where guests order at the counter.
It is one of several ways to take orders. Guests at tables can use QR ordering, and your team can use the restaurant POS. The kiosk adds a fourth, for the guest standing at your counter.
How a guest uses the kiosk
The flow is short on purpose, so a first-time guest can finish without asking anyone.
- 01
Choose Eat here or Take away
The welcome screen asks first. You can offer one or both. Guests switch between English and Hindi on the same screen.
- 02
Tap through the menu
Big category and dish tiles, with sizes and add-ons. Dish names show in Hindi when you have added Hindi translations.
- 03
Pay
By UPI on the kiosk, at the counter, or on collection. You choose which of these to offer.
- 04
Take the token
The kiosk shows the token number in huge type and what to do next, then returns to the welcome screen by itself.
What the kiosk is, and what it runs on
Here is exactly what you need, so you can decide whether it suits your counter.
A tablet at the counter
Use a tablet in landscape, with auto-lock turned off and the charger plugged in. The kiosk opens full screen on the first tap.
Paired, not open to everyone
Only a paired tablet can run the kiosk. Anyone who opens the kiosk link elsewhere sees a pairing screen. Pair by signing in on the tablet and pressing Open on this device, or with a short-lived pairing code.
A staff PIN
You set a staff PIN. Staff press and hold the logo and enter it to leave kiosk mode, go back to the kiosk or unpair the screen.
Your own brand
A style option matches your business. It is dark and drinks-first for a bar, warm for a café, bold for quick service, and your brand colour for restaurants.
Starts over by itself
If nobody touches it, the kiosk asks Still ordering? and then clears the cart for the next guest.
Not a card terminal
AirQR records payments and does not collect them. Guests cannot pay by card on the kiosk screen, because card and wallet gateways are not available yet. A guest who wants to use a card can pay at the counter on your own card machine.
Three ways guests can pay at the kiosk
Choose what suits the way your counter works. You can switch them on or off in kiosk settings.
- Pay at the counter
- What happensThe order waits on the Takeaway and delivery board until the cashier takes the money, then goes to the stations
- Good forCafés and counters that already have a cashier
- Pay by UPI on the kiosk
- What happensThe kiosk shows a UPI QR for the exact amount. After paying, the guest taps I've paid. Staff check their UPI app and verify, and the order then goes to the kitchen
- Good forBusy quick service counters
- Pay when collecting
- What happensThe order goes straight to the stations. The guest pays at the counter later
- Good forBars and trusted regulars
A UPI payment only counts once you see the money arrive. The kiosk never marks an order paid on its own. UPI needs your UPI ID in settings. See payments.
From kiosk to kitchen to pickup
A kiosk order appears on your kitchen, bar or pickup counter screens and on the Takeaway and delivery board, marked Kiosk. It prints on your thermal printer like any counter order, with the token in big type. See KOT and bill printing for how tickets are split by station.
On a pickup counter screen, staff press Call token and then Handed over. If money is still due, they take it at that step. The token also moves across the order-ready TV when the food is ready. This is how a token system for takeaway works with the kiosk.
Unpaid kiosk takeaway orders held for the counter are cancelled automatically after your chosen time. Kiosk eat-here orders are never cancelled this way.
Before you set up a self ordering kiosk
- A tablet you can leave on the counter, charging, in landscape
- The Self-order kiosk module switched on in Settings, and a staff PIN set
- A menu with clear names, sizes and photos, so guests can choose without help
- Your UPI ID added, if you want guests to pay on the kiosk
- A printer for kitchen tickets, or a kitchen display, so orders do not get lost
- A plan for who verifies UPI payments and calls tokens during rush hour
- If QR ordering is paused at the outlet, the kiosk also pauses and shows Please order at the counter
Where a kiosk helps and where it does not
A kiosk helps most where guests order at a counter and repeat orders are simple, such as a chai and snacks café, a burger counter, a food court stall or a bar. Guests choose at their own pace, and your cashier can focus on hand-over and payments.
It does not replace a captain at a full-service restaurant, and the kiosk screen does not take card payments. If you only want guests to order from their own phones, QR ordering needs no extra device. Check pricing for how the kiosk module is offered. The setup steps are in the kiosk help article and the Devices page lists every paired kiosk.
Questions
What is a self service kiosk in a restaurant?
A screen where guests choose dishes and pay for their own order, then collect it by token number. With AirQR it is a tablet on your counter that sends the order to your kitchen, bar or pickup screens.
What hardware do I need for a self ordering kiosk?
The kiosk runs on a tablet, so you do not need a dedicated kiosk machine. Keep the tablet on the counter in landscape, with auto-lock off and the charger connected, and pair it to your account with a code or by signing in on it. A printer or kitchen display for the tickets is the only other piece.
Can guests pay on the kiosk?
They can pay by UPI with a QR for the exact amount, but staff verify the payment before the order goes to the kitchen. They can also pay at the counter or on collection. Card payment on the kiosk screen is not available, so card-paying guests choose pay at the counter and use your card machine there.
Does the kiosk work in Hindi?
Guests switch between English and Hindi on the welcome screen. Dish names show in Hindi once you have added Hindi translations to your menu.
Can a guest wander off into other apps on the kiosk tablet?
The kiosk goes full screen on the first tap, and only a staff member with the PIN can leave kiosk mode. Press and hold the logo and enter the PIN.
What if I forget the staff PIN?
Set a new PIN in Settings under Self-order kiosk and save. You can also unpair a tablet from the dashboard, and it shows the pairing screen at once.
How do I get started with a kiosk ordering system?
Switch on the Self-order kiosk module, set a staff PIN, choose how guests pay, then pair a tablet. The kiosk help article lists each step.
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