It's a good idea but it sounds more like a feature request than an isea for a web or software idea. What's the business model and how would it fit with the Cambrian House approach to crowdsourcing sticky ideas?

(note to CH staff if you see this, I had to add crowdsourcing to the comment dictionary - please add it as a global spelling)

I admit this idea pushes the boundaries of what the CH community normally works on. It is a simple piece of software we are talking about, but it is definitely software. The software uses a unique barcode to identify a specific combination of (food & beverage) items.

The ?customer? for this piece of software is any one of the thousands of fast food chains out there. Fees for customization and licensing of the software provide a possible revenue model.

Building compatibility of the software to existing POS software and hardware could be a challenge. These systems may have operating systems that the CH community is not very familiar with - but isn?t that part of the fun?

The web site will be a significant part of marketing the system to its final users - fast food consumers. It must convince users to decide beforehand what they will order and to ?design? or ?build? their barcode and print it for their next visit.

The major challenge will be in making an actual sale. We would have to come up with a compelling pitch and supporting market research. Does CH have the contacts (and will) to do a real-world trial of a product like this? Or could a virtual-world trial do the trick?

There are a lot of questions to ask, but there is definitely a big opportunity. Imagine even a fraction of all the Starbucks or McDonalds customers using this system for their next visit?

Doesn't Richtree (what was once March? Lino) already kinda do this? I seem to remember they print out some kind of receipt with a bar code at each station where you get food, and they just scan them all at the cash on your way out these days.

The software would be easy; the real question is whether these places have the infrastructure in place to make it cost effective. Does Starbucks even have bar code readers at their cash machines, or do the cashiers have to punch that stuff in? Then you have to figure out if the cash registers can actually print out something fancy like a barcode on a receipt instead of just text. Finally, do they even have access to the inner workings of their cash registers? Could they throw in new features if they wanted to, or are they locked in with a cash register supplier that guards its inner workings jealously?

So the way I see it, it depends on how much of a pain in the ass it would be to implement; if the conditions are favorable, this could work out and probably make things more efficient for them. If not, it could be something to push for the next time they upgrade their cash registers... or maybe something you would want to approach a cash register company directly with.

The service will make this in parts certainly more efficient and quicker but apart from the obvious till and other software implementations that this would need there is also the actual human factor that still needs to be taken into account. by companies that may want to use this.
Will they have to install specific express counters for customers who use the bar code thing, with people specifically only making these drinks. What if a customer uses this line as service will be quicker and when it is his turn decides that actually they want another drink then the barcoded one ( a thing that might not happen everywhere but in this counttry it most certainly will) and what about employee satisfaction, one of the reasons that make this kind of work enjoyably is the customer contact which by this method will be greatly reduced. This would make for quick and efficient service, but the customer might lose out on the human side.

Caroline, I wouldn't suggest that companies would be forced to add a designated till for using such a service, just that it could be a good marketing ploy. In fact, i think that the only thing they would have to add is a barcode reader.

And I fully agree that in a shop that did have a special till, you will get people who change their minds once they get to the front. On the other hand, I have seen places that already have "express" lines for people to order specific items. So it must work to a certain degree.

As for customer interaction, I have to thoughts. First, places like McDonald's succeed because of speed and consistency and less because of the human factor. Second, if a cashier has to spend less effort concentrating on entering an order, they will have extra energy for that little chitchat that makes the customer feel special...

janosan, i've never been to Richtree, so i'll have to check it out ASAP.

We do have some experience with POS equipment and software. As you suggest, some companies keep their code a highly guarded secret, while others are quite happy to share with programmers in order to develop value-added applications. Finding the right customer for this application would be key.

With regards to the barcode reader, they're relatively cheap (<$100 cdn), so it's not a huge investment. Printing the barcode is simple as most POS software is capable of printing from digital files already (think restaurant logo).

I also agree that a POS equipment &/or software manufacturer might be the right party to approach in working towards a launch.

there must be some reason the fast food companys dont use this already....

sorry idea just came to me... is it because they ring your produce in first?