Case Study: The 5 Key Stages of Creating the Perfect Catering Kiosk
Summary
If you are looking to have a catering or retail kiosk manufactured then there are typically 5 key stages of development. If any of these stages are missed or not completed correctly then the chance that the kiosk performance will be reduced and the budget will be exceeded increase.
Stage 1: Fact Finding, Gain Advice & Design Ideas
A critical and fundamental process in making sure that your kiosk has the greatest chance of meeting your business objectives. The manufacturer / supplier you select should have the capability to interpret and understand your kiosk requirements and depending on your experience and expertise critically review these initial ideas. A reputable manufacturer will make suggestions and present ideas on how they believe the catering kiosk could be improved / enhanced.
At the end of this stage you should have a specific idea on the functionality you require. Some manufacturers may create rendered drawings to illustrate their thoughts on how the kiosk could look. This can be a very useful activity especially if the kiosk is radically different from an external design perspective
Stage 2: Produce A Comprehensive Specification & Detailed Drawings
Detailed drawings are important for 3 key reasons
- They enable the manufacturer to establish if a kiosk can actually be made. Depending on who created the initial design visuals we know of many instances where a beautiful kiosk drawing cannot actually be translated into a manufactured item
- Detailed drawings allow a kiosk to be accurately costed from a labour, materials and equipment perspective
- Reviewing the detailed drawings and making any changes at this stage is significantly cheaper than making changes at the manufacturing stage
Creating detailed drawings is an expensive process and manufacturers may charge for this service. The cost for completing this activity is often removed from the kiosk once an order is made.
Important Note: We would estimate that by having detailed manufacturing drawings completed customers have saved significant money by not commissioning expensive changes at the manufacturing stage for example. Cupboards and doors not opening, insufficient storage space being incorporated or it being impossible to conduct customer transactions
A reputable manufacturer will welcome feedback before the final fit assembly stages to make sure that the kiosk is providing you with the optimum environment. With a physical shell in place to walk round you now get a real feel for how much space is available and the implication of locating key facilities.
Note at this stage any changes will probably incur additional costs which is why stage 2 is so important. Its very low cost to move a piece of equipment on a drawing, it can be a significant amount of work
Stage 3: Manufacture and final assembly
A modern kiosk manufacturer should be capable of working with a wide variety of materials and manufacturing methods. When selecting a manufacturer it is important to ask the following questions
- Do they have In house manufacturing, fabrication and assembly facilities
- Can they manufacture a complete size range of kiosks from single to multiple units
- What capabilities and resources do they have to fast track a build should deadlines dictate
- Have they got specialist skills and expertise in developing retail solutions
- Can they provide design options and production designs so that a kiosk can be accurately viewed and analysed
- What quality procedures do they operate
- What is the process for inspecting a unit during build and at what stages can the unit be inspected / evaluated during the build process
Stage 4: Getting the kiosk installed
The installation of a Kiosk can vary from being an incredibly fast and simple exercise to being a building project in its own right.
The simplest of installations occur when the assembled kiosk is loaded onto truck and on arrival at the site lowered into the pre prepared area. The kiosk is then connected to the available utilities and any additional fittings or equipment are then installed. With well managed projects the process can be completed in a matter of hours allowing the kiosk to be operational with days.
Complicated site installations include
- Having to completely strip down the factory built kiosk so that it can be transported in and hand carried to hard to reach / already developed locations. Once on site the kiosk can then be rebuilt
- Locating kiosk on steeply sloping ground where a significant amount of groundworks is required prior to the kiosk being delivered
As with most projects the more planning and coordination that is completed the greater the chance that the install will go smoothly. A company like AJC Retail are well experienced at co-ordinating with sites to make sure that unexpected and expensive complications are avoided.
Stage 5: Commissioning and handover
The final commissioning stage is where any snags (small defects or issues that you identify are made good). Again a reputable retail solutions provider will allow for time on site to get the detailed elements of the project completed to your satisfaction.
The kiosk provides the receptacle for the cooking, preparation, storage and retail displays that you will need.
The equipment you will be using from highly technical coffee machines to full blown cooking ranges with extraction need to be correctly and safely installed to ensure they are working that there optimum performance and are legally compliant.
Chilled and Refrigerated display units must be carefully located and installed to avoid damage and ensure they do justice to the products you will be displaying in them
Once you are happy that the Kiosk is as you expected then you will typically complete sign off forms. At this stage you will be provided with all the manufacturers’ information relating to the equipment that has been fitted within the kiosk so that you are able to complete warranty / guarantee documentation.
Hopefully following and considering these 5 stages will help you get the best kiosk for your needs with the minimum of disruptions and costly surprises
For more information on Catering Kiosks visit www.ajcretail.co.uk or call 01582 486663