Theatrics and robotics: Döner Shack’s first innovation store

The UK kebab brand banked on technology to upgrade customer experience.

Döner Shack pulled out all the stops to make its first innovation store fun and engaging for its customers, banking on technology to maximise efficiency and cut down on behind-the-scenes processes in its 3,000-square-foot restaurant.

“We have created some theatrical fun for our customers with a clever and engaging virtual kitchen which runs a live video stream on screens behind the counter. It is a great feature of the store and a resourceful use of space that makes the customer journey that little bit more unique and engaging,” Sanjeev Sanghera, Co-founder and Managing Director

The new store has two floors and contains space for 35 covers. The basement acts as a location for the kitchen.

Additionally, due to popular demand, the Baker Street site has a milkshake station that adds a little theatrics to the customer experience.

“The station has its own dedicated area within the restaurant – branded ‘Shake it real good’ in neon lights - and is positioned slightly away from the main counter where customers are waiting for their food and drink orders to arrive via the travelator. This way it ensures the service remains as efficient as possible and there is always a free flow of traffic in the restaurant. The milkshake station has allowed us to create a new space which was both fun and unique and gave customers a new experience that they didn’t get in other stores – the feedback from customers has certainly shown this to be the case,” Sanjeev said

Upgrades

The new innovation store is just a testament to how Döner Shack has embraced technology. First up is the self-ordering kiosks that come with multiple ordering and payment points and cut down ordering to five minutes on average.

These kiosks are an integral part of the technology that all Döner Shack franchises have. The reason is that since opening its Baker Street location, the restaurant found out that 80% of its customers prefer using these kiosks when placing orders.

“The self-ordering technology is quick and easy to use and saves customers from long queues and wait times. For restaurants, they save staff time, offer a higher level of accuracy and boost customer spend. It also prevents mistakes as the customer can then review the order before confirming. The kiosks also enhance customers' experiences by allowing them to take time to look at different options and order exactly to their taste without feeling pressure from queues or servers. Preventing mistakes as the customer can review the order before confirming it,” Sanjeev said.

Another key upgrade is the robotic kebab cutters.

Sanjeev said these cutters have been designed to consistently cut the exact quantity and proportions of meat required for each day, which means the probability of errors is minimised, if not eliminated.

With the monotonous tasks such as cutting up to 500 to 600kg of meat in a day removed, Sanjeev said it boosted employee morale and increased retention levels.

“By removing boring repetitive work from staff’s duties, they are then freed up to focus on attending to customers and enhancing the customer experience,” Sanjeev explained.

The design of its Baker Street store is compact. To better make use of the space without compromising service, Sanjeev said they installed a custom travelator that delivers the food from the basement kitchen to the customer in as fast as 15 seconds.

“As well as eating-in, an essential leg of our business model is the takeaway and delivery service. We have been consciously working on our packaging over the past three years to ensure our products remain hot and the quality of our food is not jeopardised. This has been tested for journeys anywhere from five to twenty minutes away. Therefore, the packaging suits and allows food to be delivered via the travelator in a short time, whilst remaining hot and fresh,” Sanjeev said.
 
To ensure that staff knows how to handle these upgrades, Sanjeev said they give everyone comprehensive training so that staff are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to work effectively with the new equipment and systems.
 
“The training is very hands-on and practical, allowing the staff to learn by doing. There is a training manual provided for each position, which helps the staff understand the equipment and systems better for their own role. Additionally, the Operations Team have created a structured training plan that creates a positive learning experience for the staff which has provided great results,” Sanjeev said.

*photos courtesy of Döner Shack.