If there’s one thing that really unites people across the UK, it’s their hatred for changes to checkouts.
For months supermarkets have been coming under fire for reducing the number of manned tills they have in stores and instead adding more self-service checkouts and new checkout technology.
In some shops you can even avoid going to the checkouts now completely, with handheld shop and go scanners being able to process payments at Sainsbury’s.
But it seems it’s not just supermarkets that are facing customer backlash when it comes to changes, as popular high street food chain Itsu has revealed its having to ‘backtrack’ on its self-service screens.
The sushi chain revealed at the end of 2024 that it would be adding self-service screens into restaurants in a bid to combat the rising cost of employment.
Founder Julian Metcalfe told This Is Money at the time that Itsu was ‘so scared’ of the Government raising employment taxes and the screens were ‘important’.
He added: ‘Very soon we’ll be paying staff £16 an hour, I should think. That’s a good thing for our staff. But we want our food to be affordable – so where you can have a machine to take orders, you have to do it.’
However, he’s since revealed they’ve had to backtrack on this decision, after spending thousands on the new tech, as many customers didn’t like it.
Speaking to The Times, he claimed young people ‘adapted’ to the change, but ‘50-year-olds did not like the screens very much’.
He claimed the chain had ‘done too much too soon’ and now they would be adding regular manned tills back in to every outlet as and when each place was due a refurbishment and they’ll hire three to four new members of staff to work the tills.
To apologise for the changes to the checkouts, they’ve also been giving away ‘thousands of fortune cookies’ to ‘say sorry about the screens’.
It’s particularly interesting that the screens were seen as a step too far for customers, as Julian also revealed that Itsu has Japanese robots working in its kitchens.
There are three robots in every Itsu preparation kitchen, with one robot doing the job of three people.
Each robot costs £100,000 but Julian believes they’re worth the cost as unlike humans ‘they don’t go on holiday and they don’t work from home’.
There are currently 83 Itsu sites across the UK, serving up sushi, salads and soup, most of which are located in London. The brand also has products sold in supermarkets with cartons of broth, ready meals as well as frozen items like gyozas.
It’s also launching a brand new ‘posh’ twist on the iconic Pot Noodle, with new Noodles & Broth pots crafted in partnership with chef Monica Galetti.
The pots, which cost £2 each, feature flavoured miso broths such as Katsu Curry, Chilli, Spicy Chick’n and Satay Style.
They will be available in Waitrose, Itsu outlets and served on EasyJet flights and they’re intended to be spruced up with additional ingredients by those working from home, instructions come with each one and suggestions include topping the noodles with an egg, adding spinach or a sliced hot dog.
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