New kiosk system comes to Winsted’s McD’s

WINSTED — The McDonald’s restaurant on South Main Street has installed four of the company’s new electronic kiosks.

The kiosks allow customers to order and pay for their meal on a touchscreen computer (and skip the line at the counter). A restaurant employee brings the food to the table when it’s ready.

A spokesperson for McDonald’s said the kiosks have been introduced at more than 150 of the company’s restaurants across New England. 

“The company’s goal is to modernize most U.S. restaurants by 2020,” Brand Reputation Manager Angele Busch said in an email. 

She added that customers can also use the McDonald’s app on their cell phone  to place and pay for their order.

The new electronics will not replace humans behind the counter, she said. 

“The addition of self-service kiosks is not a way to replace the value our crew members bring to McDonald’s,” Busch wrote. 

In fact, the company plans to “train and hire new hospitality crew members over the next few years.”

She also noted that the new system increases interaction between staff and customers, as they come out into the restaurant to deliver food.

“By bringing crew members out from behind the counter, their personalities come through. They truly enjoy being able to engage with our guests with table service and create those feel-good moments like helping a parent to a table, delivering the meals or getting essentials to make the dining experience better.”

According to the town’s property assessment database, the Winsted McDonald’s opened in 1987.

The McDonald’s in Winsted now has electronic order kiosks, which are intended to make it faster and easier to order food.