H-E-B has introduced self-service ordering kiosks at all 40 True Texas BBQ locations, a change designed to reduce staffing needs while keeping employees available to help.
The U.S. Sun reported that customers can use the kiosks to browse menus, customize meals and place orders. They can also order through H-E-B’s mobile app.
The company’s shift matters because the kiosks aim to reduce staffing needs. H-E-B says employees will still take orders and help customers use the machines.
That leaves the grocery chain trying to strike a practical balance. It wants the labor savings of digital ordering without removing employees from the customer experience.
Several important details remain unclear. The account gave no rollout date, list of individual restaurants or estimate of how much H-E-B expects staffing needs to fall.
The new setup does not force every customer to rely on a touchscreen. Customers may use a kiosk or the mobile app, while workers remain available for those who prefer direct help.
That choice may prove important at a barbecue restaurant, where customers can expect the sort of personal service associated with a traditional dining experience. Technology can process an order, but it cannot replace every part of hospitality.
H-E-B’s approach at least recognizes that limit. The company has not described the kiosks as a full replacement for workers, and employees remain part of the ordering process.
Another restaurant chain has already moved in the opposite direction. &pizza recently removed all its kiosks after concerns that its digital push had weakened the dining experience.
Sergio Perez, chief marketing officer at parent company Latitude Food Group, said the touchscreens “erased any attempt at hospitality.”
He also offered a blunt explanation for the retreat: “We were so focused on the promise of digital that we forgot about the dining room.”
That experience gives H-E-B a clear warning. Labor-saving tools can help a business, but a restaurant risks losing something valuable when the screen becomes the face of the operation.
Brek Webber, owner of Tin Roof BBQ in Atascocita, Texas, voiced a related concern. He worried that restaurant technology could weaken the sense of tradition that customers associate with barbecue establishments.
Self-service ordering gives customers another option and may ease pressure on staffing. But it also shifts work once handled by an employee onto the person buying the meal.
H-E-B’s decision to keep workers available is therefore more than a minor detail. It preserves a human option for customers who need help or simply do not want to place an order through a screen.
The unanswered question is whether that option remains meaningful as the kiosks become routine. A worker who is technically available but difficult to reach offers little comfort to a customer struggling with an order.
Technology should serve the customer, not become an excuse to withdraw service. Businesses that remember that basic rule are more likely to keep the public’s trust.