Technology

5 mistakes pizza restaurants make with their digital menus

It can be easy to make mistakes with your digital menus, especially on self-ordering kiosks, which can ultimately cost you both in terms of and how much customers spend and customer satisfaction.

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March 4, 2026 by Fast Casual

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Pizza restaurants operate in a crowded environment, with some estimates putting more than 75,000 restaurants in the U.S. alone. Whether you are operating a single mom and pop store, or a small to medium sized chain, or one of the major pizza chains, it's critical to have a menu that stands out from the competition, especially on the digital side as customers expect both online menus and bright digital menus on menu boards and kiosks.

However, it can be easy to make mistakes with your digital menus, especially on self-ordering kiosks, which can ultimately cost you both in terms of and how much customers spend and customer satisfaction.

Mistake no 1: No focus to the menu

DotSignage identifies one critical problem with digital menus whether on a menu board or a kiosk is simply putting too many items on the menu.

While it's important to offer variety to guests, putting too many different styles of pizzas on the menu can distract guests or lead to decision fatigue.

"Even if you have some amazing items on your menu that can be tried, the customer might not even notice them," DotSigange said in a blog. "A lot of restaurants who are just starting out, to avoid costs, stuff all their menu items on a single menu screen. This practice could be disastrous."

Mistake no 2: Going light on the visuals

It can be tempting to just rely on a text menu, especially on kiosks. But this is a big mistake in the pizza world, as customers want a clear idea of what sort of pie they will be receiving.

"On the front end, the biggest mistake is underinvesting in visuals.Pizza is emotional and visual. High-quality photography drives appetite and curiosity. When customers can clearly see what they're ordering, they're more likely to add more to their cart," Kristina Taylor Cruz, global marketing executive at INFI, an app, kiosk and marketing services company, said in an email interview.

Mistake no: 3 Not synchronizing the menu

One of the quickest ways to irritate customers is to show something on the menu that's been 86'd(not available). When that happens, restaurant employees are left to explain to guests that the pizza they wanted isn't available.

"Lack of menu synchronization is a common issue. If your POS and kiosk aren't fully integrated, 86'd items can still appear on screen — leading to frustration and lost trust," Cruz said. "Seamless syncing across channels ensures a smooth, reliable customer experience."

Mistake no 4: Making kiosks look like a paper menu

It can be tempting to take a paper menu and design it for a self-ordering kiosk. After all, it's easy to integrate and you don't have to spend extra time redesigning your menu. However, this can lead to confusion and irritation for customers who want to use a kiosk like how they use their phones.

"Many operators try to make their kiosks mirror their paper menu. That's a missed opportunity," Cruz said. "A kiosk should be designed for how customers naturally browse and decide digitally — not how a printed menu is structured. When organized properly and powered by INFI's built-in recommendation engine, kiosk ticket averages consistently rise."

Mistake no 5: Not treating kiosks as revenue drivers

Pizza operators need to stop thinking of their kiosk as just a way to save labor costs, but also as a way to boost the bottom line. While kiosks certainly do cut back on lines as customers can easily order and customize their pizzas without interacting with an employee, kiosks can also drive revenue.

"A kiosk creates a judgment-free, frictionless ordering experience. Customers feel more comfortable exploring add-ons and upgrades without feeling rushed. That's where the real opportunity lies," Cruz said.

Fixing these mistakes

There are multiple ways to fix these mistakes. Cruz recommends a few primary strategies to keep in mind:

Integrate your POS and menus.
Tap into visual-first design.
Provide automated upselling.

The upselling aspect is a key component of INFi's kiosk offerings, as they utilize prompts on the screen for upgrades whether that be better crusts, sides, drinks or family bundles.

"INFI customers are seeing nearly 50% higher ticket values compared to staff-led orders. A well-designed kiosk doesn't just take orders — it consistently grows them," Cruz said.

The INFI advantage

By tapping into INFI's kiosks, Cruz said operators "can expect around a 25% increase in average order value with an optimized digital menu." This can at times reach a 50% higher ticker average when taking full advantage of INFI's solutions.

INFI kiosks can on average take orders one to two times faster than a cashier, and will continually upsell with the right suggestion based on what the customer already has selected.

"In many cases, INFI kiosks outsell even your best employee because they never forget to recommend a drink, side, or upgrade," Cruz said.

However, these kiosks don't replace team members, they instead improve employee's workflow, which trickles down to both the customer experience and ticket order.

"When kiosks handle ordering, team members are freed up to focus on hospitality, speed, and food quality. Staff shift from being order takers to experience makers — creating a smoother, more enjoyable customer journey," Cruz said.

INFI works with operators to implement the kiosks, alongside offering "best-practice playbooks, and ongoing support" for the best bottom-line results on every level.

Ready to transform your kiosk strategy? Click here to get in touch with the INFI team.

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