Samford’s new Grubhub self-service kiosks are consistently resulting in long lines in the Lower University Center, while they were originally meant to decrease wait times and increase efficiency for Moe’s Southwest Grill, Berry Bowls and Food Lab orders.
According to Moe’s employee Latrell Hudson, the kiosks have crashed or frozen multiple times. This means that order payments may not go through, the kiosks cannot take orders or the system is simply slow. Hudson also states that receipts occasionally do not print altogether, leaving students standing by the assembly line, waiting for their meal and eventually being late to class.
Hudson said that, in past years without the Grubhub kiosks, students would spend around five or six minutes at Moe’s and continue their day.
“I feel like it’s a bad idea,” Hudson said regarding the kiosks, “because it’s not the same. It’s supposed to be faster and easier, but it’s not. It’s trouble here, trouble there.”
Jessica Vines, a marketing employee for Aramark – the food service provider for Samford – said that the kiosks were implemented to streamline orders, improve order accuracy and allow employees to focus on serving food rather than processing transactions.
Vines also said that her team is actively pursuing a solution to the long wait times for the Grubhub kiosks by launching the use of the Grubhub mobile app. Even more, she said that an additional kiosk will be added this week to decrease wait times.
“Once the system is working and students are engaging with the mobile order, other locations may benefit from kiosks due to high order volume. Chick-fil-A is up for renovation next year and will launch kiosk ordering along with renovation reopening,” Vines said.
Aside from the wait times, however, for student Ethan Howard, the kiosks have taken away what he bases his life on: human interaction.
“I had to watch a guy stare at a piece of paper, looking down at his hands, while he put my bowl together with no conversation whatsoever,” Howard said.
The new kiosks eliminate the need to interact with employees, even when simply discussing the student’s order. Howard wishes that the kiosk’s purpose would have been explained to the students before their implementation, especially considering the financial commitment that students make to Samford. He also believes that, because the new ordering system lacks human interaction, the kiosks do not support what Samford stands for.
“I don’t really think the kiosk is for God or for learning. It’s just for money, but it’s seemingly forever,” Howard said.
While Aramark and Samford Dining are actively working to improve the functionality of the kiosks, students and restaurant employees seek a resolution that is both efficient and aligns with Samford’s motto.
Staff Reporter
