McDonald's sets up kiosks
MCDONALD’S IN Polson invited employees and their families for a family night in March, where staff used the opportunity to get acquainted with the new kiosk system. (Ashley Fox/Lake County Leader)
The McDonald’s in Polson may look a little different to patrons.
Kiosks have been added to help ensure that staff can get orders to consumers promptly.
Manager Lennie Hales explained during an employee appreciation night in March that the new machines will help create more jobs, contrary to the belief of the kiosks taking jobs.
“Normally I would have a counter person, and a person running for that counter person. (Now) I have a counter person, a person running for them, a person running (at the kiosks) and a person” taking orders to the tables, as part of the new service, Hales explained.
The kiosks are designed to speed the process from when a person orders to the time they leave, he said.
The lobby was closed for two hours on March 14 so that employees, their family and close friends, could test out the new software.
New owners Jeff and Denise Gorman are “big on family,” Hales said, which prompted the family night.
There was a week of training on the kiosk system, Hales said, and the appreciation night allowed employees to get better acquainted with how they work.
Currently the Polson McDonald’s employs about 50 associates, and Hales said that he plans on increasing to 80 by summer.