Fishy Business: RFID Automates Seafood Outlets
Sweden's Laxbutiken takes dining self-service to a new level at its LAXoMAT food stores.
By John Edwards
Mar. 21, 2011—If you visit any of the four LAXoMAT food shops located within an hour's drive of Heberg, in southwestern Sweden, you'll see plenty of fish, but not that many people. In fact, it's possible you may be the only person inside the self-serve store. That's because each LAXoMAT outlet is fully automated with radio frequency identification technology, so there are no greeters, sales clerks or stock crew to get between you and your food.
The LAXoMAT concept was developed by Laxbutiken, a family-run seafood restaurant chain and food-service firm based in Heberg, and Effective Shop Charge Systems (ESCS), the company's retail automation affiliate, headquartered in Falkenberg, Sweden. Niklas Hild, a sales and marketing consultant to Laxbutiken and ESCS, says the automated stores arose out of Laxbutiken's desire to generate sales during the hours its restaurants, located along a busy tourist route, were closed.
"Tourist buses from places like Germany would stop by the restaurants late in the day, and the people couldn't buy anything because the restaurants were closed," Hild explains. "Whatever closing hour the restaurants had, it seemed there was always a bus arriving 15 minutes later."
Mar. 21, 2011—If you visit any of the four LAXoMAT food shops located within an hour's drive of Heberg, in southwestern Sweden, you'll see plenty of fish, but not that many people. In fact, it's possible you may be the only person inside the self-serve store. That's because each LAXoMAT outlet is fully automated with radio frequency identification technology, so there are no greeters, sales clerks or stock crew to get between you and your food.
The LAXoMAT concept was developed by Laxbutiken, a family-run seafood restaurant chain and food-service firm based in Heberg, and Effective Shop Charge Systems (ESCS), the company's retail automation affiliate, headquartered in Falkenberg, Sweden. Niklas Hild, a sales and marketing consultant to Laxbutiken and ESCS, says the automated stores arose out of Laxbutiken's desire to generate sales during the hours its restaurants, located along a busy tourist route, were closed.
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| A customer gains entry to the shop by swiping a major credit card at the door. |
"Tourist buses from places like Germany would stop by the restaurants late in the day, and the people couldn't buy anything because the restaurants were closed," Hild explains. "Whatever closing hour the restaurants had, it seemed there was always a bus arriving 15 minutes later."
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