From the MLB All-Star Game, Washington, D.C.
Last week’s All-Star Game marked a further advancement in the automatic kiosks for food ordering being developed by Levy Restaurants, the Nationals’ concessionaire. Levy, through its E15 subsidiary, installed four new touch-screen kiosks for the jewel event on the Nationals Park club level, adding to three placed on the upper concourse earlier this year.
Like the now more than 170 such kiosks E15 has installed across its sports client portfolio, the technology promises shorter wait times than standard concession stands, with the kiosks only accepting electronic payments and not cash. And compared to many standard facility menu boards, the kiosks work on a more striking visual level with large pictures of each food item.
“This is something we’re able to use technology to help solve long-standing pain points in the fan experience, particularly in terms of lines and wait times,” said Bo Osacky, Levy Restaurants and E15 director of emerging technology.
The kiosks are also designed to yield a vast trove of new consumer data and the ability to more strategically upsell fans. E15’s push toward more such kiosk installations in other markets is accelerating, and the company said an undisclosed MLB client is preparing to go to a fully cashless platform for concessions next season.
