In a self-serve style of restaurant from a buffet style to a fast food chain with a cold drink dispenser for customers to use on their own, planning the set-up of each area of the restaurant is important. There is nothing worse than a poorly planned set-up which slows down customers and creates confusion.
Correct setup and positioning of each station in any type of self-serve food service venue is critical to keep traffic moving. There should always be a logical flow to the system to ensures the traffic pattern moves uniformly and prevents the need to circle back or move in complex patterns through the system. Ideally the cold drink dispenser should be at the end of the line or off to the side of the flow of traffic, as this is an area where people may need a minute or two to make a drink selection and fill their glass.
Multiple Stations
It may make sense within the structure of the restaurant and the style of buffet or cafeteria-style to have more than one cold drink dispenser in the room or area. This prevents everyone from having to move to the same location and can spread out the number of customers at each station.
This also helps in peak serving times as customers can self-select the station with the fewest in line or choose by type of beverage in the cold drink dispenser. Multiple stations with all the same selections are most common, but a restaurant may also have a specialized cold drink dispenser for non-carbonated drinks just as juice and water and one or more for sodas and carbonated drinks.
Add Ice
Having an ice dispenser in close proximity to the cold drink dispenser is another consideration. This allows customers to move easily between one and the other without having to cross the main flow of traffic through the self-serve area. Again, with these machines at the end of the room and to the sides of the main flow traffic will keep moving steadily even if someone is slow selecting their drinks.
Take a look at were other similar styles of restaurants, buffets and cafeteria styled venues position their cold drink dispenser. You can also evaluate the flow of traffic with the equipment located in the given spot to determine if this is the most effective placement.
With many different sizes and styles of cold drink dispenser models, Lancer Corporation has the right equipment for your restaurant. To see more about our options visit us online at website.
