1. QUEENSLAND FOOD FRANCHISE Rock Pa-
per Scissors (RPS) has big ambitions to become
Australia’s leading quick-service fish and chips
outlet. It is one of Australia's fastest growing fish
and chip franchises, and has also broken new
ground in customer self-ordering options.
Unlike other more established franchises,
RPS says it was founded in a technological age
where consumers expected to order through a
range of channels – whether online, in-store or
at the drive thru.
To meet this demand, RPS introduced mul-
tiple ways to place and receive orders, includ-
ing the introduction of self-service kiosks at
its drive thru facilities.
Tanya Gilchrist, director of systems and inte-
fish and chips franchise
14
Food&Drink business | March 2015
Self service nets return for
Queensland food company
Rock Paper Scissors, one of
Australia's fastest growing
fish and chip franchises, has
pioneered a completely new
way to sell fast food.
food franchise
grations at Rock Paper Scissors, says the self-ser-
vice model, both online and at the drive thru, not
only empowers the customer but benefits the
Rock Paper Scissors franchise model by boosting
sales and cutting costs.
“As a business we want to ensure we can of-
fer fabulous food but also create a customer
experience to match. Looking at the delivery
experience was and still is an integral part of
our business plan,” she says.
“In Australia 65 per cent of adults use smart-
phones, so tapping into that technology has
been a driving force for us. Offering online or-
dering through a laptop, tablet and phone
means a customer can choose exactly what
they want, reduce their waiting time, and col-
lect it at their convenience.”
RPS's sales figures also show that the self-
serve model has delivered a positive return in
investment. The average spend in-store is
$14.30, while the online and drive thru spend
is $19.63. The self-serve option also reduces
staff costs both in man hours and training,
according to Gilchrist.
THE FIRST KIOSKS
In 2012, part of Rock Paper Scissors’ strategic
plan included the introduction of a self-service
drive thru facility. To achieve this they needed
the kiosks to be touch-screen for ease of use
and ruggedised so they could handle the out-
door environment and extreme QLD environ-
ment of heat, sun and rain.
The display also needed to work with the exist-
ing hardware and software, and be vandal-proof.
The company chose products and services
from Adelaide-based APC Technology out of
a shortlist of four outdoor touchscreen dis-
play suppliers.
APC Technology designs and manufac-
tures customised rugged hardware solutions
for military and industrial customers with
critical applications.
“From our point of view we knew we were in-
“Although our businesses
are poles apart, we
share common traits.
We are innovators
within our own fields.”

2. order, in monetary terms, is 24 per cent higher
than in-store. The self-service option also allows
100 per cent upsell “because computers don’t for-
get,” she says.
The drive-thru has also delivered savings,
with labour costs reduced by approximately
21 per cent.
“The original drive thru store has increased its
turnover by 70 per cent in the last two years, and
figures show the drive thru growth originally
contributed to 15 per cent of the revenue stream
– and is now 50 per cent,” Gilchrist says.
A SECOND-GENERATION
DRIVE THRU KIOSK
Towards the end of last year, Rock Paper Scissors
approached APC Technology to design and build
a second-generation drive thru kiosk for another
franchise in Queensland.
The company had learnt some useful lessons
over the previous two years, and it had some
new requirements.
The previous version had consisted of an
APCT touchscreen display connected to an ex-
isting PC located inside the restaurant. The new
kiosks had to contain all the components of the
system in one location, and there were a few
other new requirements (see box).
RPS gave APC Technology just two months to
design, produce and deliver the new system.
“What I found amazing is we gave them
our requirements, explained what we need-
ed, and on receipt of the first round of draw-
ings their engineering department had really
nailed what we were looking for. A few minor
changes were made in a timely manner,
which provided a longer build period. I really
think their understanding and expertise at
the beginning of the project was the reason
we got the new kiosk exactly when we want-
ed it,” Gilchrist says.
“As a company we are really excited to have
the new kiosk installed in one of our
Queensland Rock Paper Scissors franchises.
The feedback from our staff and customers is
that it looks great, is fast, and the enhanced
functionality including audio assistance
makes it even more interactive and easy to
use. The addition of a moving screen has also
made it more accessible for our customers to
reach, because often first-time users don’t re-
alise it's a touchscreen ordering system, so
they park too far away.”
THE FUTURE
Gilchrist believes 2015 will be a year of signifi-
cant growth for the company. The directors are
confident they now have the processes and ca-
pabilities in place to roll out another five or
more stores with the option to move into other
Australian states.
They are also exploring the option to grow the
franchise into India, with APC Technology ex-
pected to be a part of the expansion.
“Although our businesses are poles apart, we
share common traits. We are innovators with-
in our own fields. The solutions supplied each
time have met our requirements and continue
to perform, adding to the success of our busi-
ness," says Gilchrist.
"APCT said it would provide tough solutions
for tough conditions. I couldn’t agree more.”
novating a completely new way to purchase fast
food within Australia, so although pricing was
important to us, we were also looking for a tech-
nology partner who would add value to the pro-
cess,” says Gilchrist.
“Though APCT was not the cheapest, it was
competitively priced, and certainly not the most
expensive. It was their additional capabilities
that really impressed us.”
The company also took the time to understand
what RPS wanted to do, how it planned to imple-
ment it, and added their own expertise, accord-
ing to Gilchrist
APC Technology was also the only Austra-
lian manufacturer on the shortlist, which
meant local support.
“For us, the impact of extensive downtime due
to faulty or damaged hardware would signifi-
cantly impact the franchise and create uncer-
tainty about the quality and sustainability of a
self-service drive thru. As the manufacturer and
their location within Australia, we felt APCT
could meet the support requirements better than
any other vendor.” Gilchrist says.
SELF-SERVICE DEEMED A SUCCESS
The drive thru installation was completed in Oc-
tober 2012, and has proved extremely reliable,
says Gilchrist.
“The set-up still looks great even though it
has been exposed to the Queensland rain, sun
and humidity, as well as customer use for more
than two years.
“In fact, I can only recall one time it has ever
been down, and in actual fact it wasn’t com-
pletely off line. There was an issue with the cali-
bration of the touchscreen, which meant some
difficulties navigating the screen. Within hours
we had a new driver from APCT which was up-
loaded and resolved the problem.”
Being an innovator in this space has also paid
off for Rock Paper Scissors.
According to Gilchrist, the average drive thru
15food franchise
Rock Paper Scissors is a branded fish
and chips quick-service restaurant and
offers a contemporary take on
traditional favourites. Directors and
sisters Tanya Gilchrist and Hayley Bragg
opened the first store in December 2010
and now have seven franchised and
company-owned stores in Queensland.
National expansion is soon to
commence. The company seeks to use
innovative technology solutions and
processes to keep the stores operating
at maximum efficiency and enhance the
customer experience.
Rock Paper Scissors
Additional requirements of the second-generation
kiosk included:
• All the components of the system in one location
• Lockable cabinet to increase security overnight
• Movement of the screen – a rotation-and-tilt option
• A higher-rated sunlight-readable touchscreen
• The addition of an audio requirement
• Stainless-steel bollard set-up
Second-generation
drive-thru kiosk
March 2015 | Food&Drink business