# Voice kiosk for Chowbus restaurants: setup, how orders land and what to ask

> Canonical: https://maple.inc/blog/ai-voice-kiosk-chowbus-restaurants

> Search title: Voice Kiosk for Chowbus: Setup, Languages, What to Ask
> Search description: Maple's voice kiosk and Chowbus Kiosk side by side: price, setup, 13 languages, and the payment and menu questions to settle in a demo.

*Written by Rue, Maple's AI customer-experience agent · Published by Aidan Chau · Published 2026-11-14*

How Maple's voice ordering kiosk works with a Chowbus POS: how it differs from Chowbus's own touch kiosk (about $1,000), the location ID connection, device pairing, ordering in Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean, the payment question to settle first and a first-week test.

Chowbus already sells a self-order kiosk, and it prints a price: around $1,000, with the software, hardware and integration support included. Chowbus says it can install one in as little as a week after you sign. Its page describes a touch screen. Maple's voice kiosk is a different unit: guests say the order and see each item and the total on screen. Maple answers in 13 languages, and its release with Chowbus names Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and English. Maple's Chowbus docs describe phone ordering only, so the kiosk details are questions for the demo. It is in early access with a small number of restaurants and is priced per unit, with no public price.

This guide sets the two side by side, walks through what Maple documents for Chowbus and for pairing a kiosk, flags the payment and rewards questions that Maple's public pages leave open, and ends with a test to run before guests use it. Where a page does not say, this guide says so and turns the gap into a question for the demo.

## Is Maple's voice kiosk the same thing as Chowbus Kiosk?

No. Chowbus Kiosk is Chowbus's own self-service ordering system, sold by Chowbus and managed in Chowbus. Maple's kiosk is a separate product that works with the POS systems Maple takes orders into, and [Chowbus is one of them](https://maple.inc/integrations/chowbus). Your Chowbus account stays the place where orders land and where you manage the menu.

    Question Chowbus Kiosk Maple's voice kiosk Start here if
  How guests order Guests browse menu images and descriptions on a large screen and pick options such as sweetness levels, toppings and combos, per Chowbus's page. The page does not mention voice. Say the order; each item and the total show on screen. The setup doc says guests order by touch or by voice. Chowbus: you want a touch screen from your POS vendor. Maple: you want guests to talk, in their own language.
  Price Around $1,000, including software, hardware and integration support, per Chowbus. Chowbus also mentions hardware discounts and switching vouchers. Priced per unit; no public price Chowbus: you want a number on a page today. Maple: you are happy to take a quote.
  Install time As fast as 1 week after signing, per Chowbus Not on Maple's public pages; ask for a date in writing Chowbus: you need it up quickly. Maple: you can wait for early access.
  Hardware Chowbus supplies it Maple's kiosk page says Maple supplies the kiosk and helps you set it up; its setup doc describes the Maple Device app on an Android 8 or newer tablet or kiosk unit. Ask which device you get. Either: ask what the box and the mount are.
  Menu Your Chowbus menu Maple's Chowbus docs, written for phone ordering, say Chowbus changes reach Maple about 1 to 2 minutes later; ask whether the kiosk works the same way Either way: one menu, kept in Chowbus.
  Where orders go The kitchen display or printer Straight to your POS, per Maple's kiosk page Same destination: your Chowbus orders.
  Rewards and extras Prompts guests to join your membership, earns and redeems points on the kiosk, shows promotions, works with Chowbus's bubble tea machine and Customer Pickup Screen Not stated on Maple's kiosk page; ask Chowbus: members and points are the point of the screen. Maple: confirm what carries over before you buy.
  Staff help Not described on the page A staff-help button on every screen; Maple can be turned off on any kiosk with one tap Maple: you want the crew to step in with one tap.

Sources: [Chowbus's kiosk page](https://www.chowbus.com/hardware/restaurant-kiosk), [Maple's kiosk page](https://maple.inc/kiosk) and Maple's [kiosk setup doc](https://docs.maple.inc/orders/kiosk-setup).

## Why look at a voice kiosk on Chowbus at all?

Language. Maple and Chowbus announced their integration in a [September 2, 2026 Business Wire release](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260902776251/en/Chowbus-and-Maple-Announce-Strategic-Partnership-to-Bring-Multilingual-Voice-AI-Ordering-to-Restaurants). It says the same Maple engine takes orders by phone, at a kiosk and at a drive-thru, in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean, stays in the language the guest uses and sends the finished order to Chowbus, where it routes like any other order. Maple answers in 13 languages in all: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Korean, French, Hindi, Vietnamese, Arabic, Portuguese, German, Japanese and Italian.

A touch kiosk can show a translated menu, and Chowbus menus often carry names in more than one language. A voice kiosk also lets a guest who does not read the menu say what they want. Whether that matters depends on who stands at your counter, so decide with your own guests in mind, and test it.

## Does a voice kiosk work with Chowbus?

In general terms, yes. Maple's kiosk page says it works with every POS Maple takes orders into, and Chowbus is one of them. The release says Maple orders appear on kitchen displays and receipt printers alongside in-store, kiosk, QR and online orders. Maple's public Chowbus pages describe the connection for phone ordering and say nothing kiosk-specific, so this guide separates what Maple documents (setup, menu sync, how orders reach Chowbus) from what to confirm for a kiosk (payment, rewards, order label, kitchen routing). If you also have a lane, [AI drive-thru ordering for Chowbus](https://maple.inc/blog/ai-drive-thru-chowbus-restaurants) covers it, with the same open questions.

## What do you need before you start?

From [Maple's Chowbus page](https://maple.inc/integrations/chowbus) and its [Chowbus setup docs](https://docs.maple.inc/orders/pos/chowbus):

- Your Chowbus location ID. It starts with `loc_`; your Chowbus representative can help you find it.
- A Maple Pro plan, which includes phone ordering and POS integrations. Ask how the kiosk is quoted next to it.
- A Chowbus menu you are happy for guests to read on a screen: clear item names, current prices and real modifier groups.

Card payments run through Chowbus's own payment links, so Maple's docs list no separate business verification (KYC) step for Chowbus. For the kiosk itself, Maple's setup doc asks for Wi-Fi at the spot where the kiosk stands, dashboard access for the store, and, optionally, a receipt printer: a built-in one, or an ESC/POS printer on the same network, taking 58 mm or 80 mm paper.

## How do you connect Chowbus and pair the kiosk?

There are two parts: the connection to Chowbus and the device.

The Chowbus connection, from Maple's docs:

1. In the Maple dashboard, click Orders in the sidebar and continue to the Select POS step, or open the location's settings and go to Integrations.
2. Select Chowbus.
3. Enter your location ID. Maple validates the connection and imports your menu.
4. Check that items, modifiers, categories and prices came across, then place test orders.

The kiosk pairing, from [Maple's kiosk setup doc](https://docs.maple.inc/orders/kiosk-setup):

1. In the Maple dashboard, go to Orders, then Manage Kiosk, and click Enable Kiosk. You do this once per store. If you do not see Manage Kiosk, contact Maple: the kiosk may not be on for your store yet.
2. Click Pair a kiosk. Maple shows a 6-digit code that works once and expires after 10 minutes.
3. On the device, install the Maple Device app. It does not come from the Play Store, so Android asks you to allow installs from the source once. Allow Bluetooth, notifications and the microphone, because guests need the microphone to order by voice.
4. Type the code, choose Kiosk in the Mode card, save, and tap Finish setup and open kiosk. The device then shows as Online under Devices in Manage Kiosk.
5. Check the sound: hold the top-left corner of the screen for 5 seconds, open settings, confirm the microphone says Allowed and tap Test sound. You should hear three tones.

From the same page, the dashboard also sets the kiosk's colors, idle screen image, welcome message, voice and languages. Small app updates install overnight between 2 and 5 a.m. so guests are not interrupted. Maple's pages give no installation timeline for your site, so ask sales how the install and the Chowbus connection are scheduled, and whether one connection serves phone and kiosk at your location.

## Does the kiosk use the Chowbus menu, and how fast do changes arrive?

Maple's Chowbus docs describe menu sync for phone ordering. Items, prices, categories, modifier groups, modifiers and availability come from Chowbus. Chowbus tells Maple when you change the menu, including 86, un-86 and price changes, and Maple updates that store's menu about 1 to 2 minutes later. If a change has not appeared after a few minutes, click Resync Menu on the Menus page. A failed sync never erases the menu you have. Maple's kiosk page says the kiosk knows your full menu and every modifier and skips items that are out of stock, but it does not name Chowbus or say the kiosk uses the same sync. Treat each behavior above as a question to confirm for a kiosk, not a given.

If the kiosk does follow the same window, an item 86'd at 12:10 should drop off the screen at about 12:12. Ask Maple what a guest sees in between.

The Name field matters more on a screen than on a phone. Maple reads each dish's main Name field from Chowbus, whatever language is in it, and not the Foreign name field. So if your Name field holds English and your Foreign name holds Chinese, a guest at a kiosk sees and hears the English. Decide which you want, and ask Maple whether the screen shows the name in the language the guest is speaking. Clean up the rest of the menu first: shorten any name only your crew understands and fix prices that differ between channels. [Kiosk menu design](https://maple.inc/blog/kiosk-menu-design) has a worksheet for this.

## How does a guest pay at a Maple kiosk on Chowbus?

Maple's public pages do not say, so make this the first question of the demo. What Maple's docs do say is about phone orders: card payments go through Chowbus's own payment links, pickup orders can be paid now or paid in store, and delivery orders are paid upfront, or on arrival only when your own drivers deliver. Chowbus's own kiosk lets guests order and pay independently, per its page.

A payment link does not map neatly onto a guest standing at a screen, and nothing in Maple's public pages says a kiosk guest receives one. Decide which of these you want, then ask Maple whether it fits:

- The guest pays at the kiosk with a card, and the payment lands in Chowbus the way your other Chowbus orders do.
- The guest orders at the kiosk and pays at your Chowbus register.
- The guest pays cash. Maple's pages do not say, so this needs its own answer. [Kiosk payments and cash](https://maple.inc/blog/kiosk-payments-cash) lists the questions.

Run each path through a test order and look at the payment, the tip and the deposit as well as the ticket.

## Do members, points and promotions carry over?

Not that Maple says. Chowbus's kiosk prompts guests to join your membership with one click, lets them earn and redeem points on the screen and shows promotions. Those features belong to Chowbus's kiosk, and Maple's public pages do not describe any of them for Maple's. If members and points matter to you, ask three things in the demo: can a guest at Maple's kiosk identify as a member, do their points accrue on the order, and can a promotion apply. If the answer to any is no, you give up that feature at that screen, and you can weigh it against what a voice kiosk adds.

## How should a kiosk order land in Chowbus?

Maple's kiosk page says the ticket goes straight to your POS. Test with real tickets and read each one in Chowbus:

    Order What it shows Where to look
  One plain item Whether the ticket and total match the kiosk screen The Chowbus order
  An item with required modifiers and an extra Whether each modifier arrives as your crew would ring it Your kitchen printer or display
  The same order said in a second language Whether it lands on the same items, and whether the ticket prints in the language the station reads The kiosk screen, then the ticket
  A guest who changes their mind midway Whether the removed item is gone from the ticket and the total The kiosk screen, then the Chowbus order
  An item you mark sold out in Chowbus How long the kiosk takes to stop offering it The kiosk screen
  A price change made in Chowbus How long the kiosk takes to show it The kiosk screen and a new order

Then ask what label a kiosk order carries in Chowbus, so the counter can tell it from a phone order, a QR order or a Chowbus Kiosk order, and whether it shows up in your Chowbus reports with the right source. If you use Chowbus's pickup screen or bubble tea machine, ask whether a Maple kiosk order triggers them. Maple's Chowbus docs describe orders for phone ordering only.

## What happens when a guest needs a person, or the internet drops?

From Maple's kiosk page: every screen has a staff-help button, and a crew member takes over when a guest taps it. You can turn Maple off on any kiosk with one tap, and guests can ask for a person at any time. Its microphone points at the guest in front of it, so it picks up that voice over nearby talk and kitchen noise. Decide before launch who answers the staff-help button. [Kiosk staff help](https://maple.inc/blog/kiosk-staff-help) has a four-zone staffing table.

Maple's kiosk doc covers the connection: the app keeps trying while the device is offline and reconnects on its own once the network is back, and the dashboard shows each device as Online or Offline with the time Maple last heard from it. It does not say what a guest can do while the device is offline, or what happens to an order in progress. Chowbus says its own POS has an offline mode, but that is Chowbus's feature and does not cover Maple's kiosk. Ask Maple for its answer in writing and agree a fallback: who checks whether a payment completed, and how staff avoid entering the same order twice.

## What should you ask before a Chowbus kiosk trial?

- How does a guest pay at a Maple kiosk, and does the payment land in Chowbus the way a Chowbus Kiosk payment does?
- Which device do I get, and does the Android 8 setup in the docs apply to it?
- Does one Chowbus connection serve phone and kiosk at my location? If I have more than one location, how is each kiosk paired to the right one?
- Which languages are ready on the kiosk today, and does the screen show names in the guest's language or in the Name field?
- Can a guest at the kiosk use my membership, earn points or see promotions?
- What label does a kiosk order carry in Chowbus, and does it reach my pickup screen or bubble tea machine?
- Does the kiosk use the same Chowbus menu sync as phone ordering (about 1 to 2 minutes), and how does it handle an item I 86 mid-rush?
- What does a guest see if Chowbus or my internet is unavailable?
- Which accessibility features does the kiosk have? [Kiosk accessibility](https://maple.inc/blog/restaurant-kiosk-accessibility) lists the public guidance to check against.
- What does early access include, and where would my store be in line?

## How do you run a first-week test on a Chowbus kiosk?

1. Before the unit arrives, clean up the Chowbus menu: names a guest would say, current prices, required modifier groups and the name you want read in the Name field.
2. Connect with your location ID and look at what imported. Fix gaps in Chowbus and click Resync Menu.
3. Pair the device with the dashboard code, then run the sound check and, if you use one, the printer test print.
4. Place the six test orders in the table above yourself, and follow each one to the kitchen. Use "Test" as the name and tell the crew first.
5. Repeat the same three orders in each language you serve, with a native speaker. Write down items that matched, items that did not and repeats.
6. Press the one-tap off switch in a quiet hour and time how long the crew takes to run the counter by hand.
7. Put the kiosk where guests already queue and go live for a slow daypart. Keep three counts apart: orders completed without help, orders that needed a person, and tickets the kitchen had to correct.
8. Compare similar dayparts before you widen the trial. The [kiosk pilot checklist](https://maple.inc/blog/kiosk-pilot-checklist) gives a four-week plan.

A worked example of the counts, with made-up numbers to show the arithmetic: if a slow daypart sees 50 kiosk orders, and 41 finish without help, 6 need a person and 3 tickets are corrected by the kitchen, then 41 ÷ 50 = 82% finished without help, 6 ÷ 50 = 12% needed a person, and 3 ÷ 50 = 6% needed a kitchen fix. Those are not results from any restaurant. Split your own counts by language so a weak spot in one is not hidden by the rest.

## What goes wrong, and how do you fix it?

The Chowbus rows come from Maple's Chowbus troubleshooting notes for phone ordering; the device rows come from the kiosk setup doc. Confirm the Chowbus rows apply to a kiosk before you rely on them.

    Symptom Likely cause Fix
  An item a guest wants is not offered The item is not active in Chowbus, its category is not published, or the change has not reached Maple yet. Make it active and publish the category in Chowbus. Wait about 1 to 2 minutes, then click Resync Menu on the Menus page if it has not appeared.
  Orders do not appear in Chowbus The integration is not active, Chowbus is offline or the location ID is wrong. Confirm the integration is active, check that Chowbus is online and the ID starts with `loc_` and is right, and read the error logs in the dashboard.
  A guest sees a dish name in the wrong language Maple reads the Name field, not the Foreign name field. Put the name you want shown in Name, then test again.
  The pairing code does not work Each code works once and expires after 10 minutes, or a digit is wrong. Click Pair a kiosk again for a new code and type all 6 digits right away.
  Guests cannot be heard, or hear nothing The microphone permission is off, or the call volume is low. Open settings, check the Sound card says Allowed, run Test sound and turn up the volume.
  The dashboard shows the kiosk Offline The device lost Wi-Fi or internet. Check Wi-Fi, check Connection says Connected in settings, then restart the device if it stays offline.
  The printer does not print It is off, out of paper or on another network. Run Test print, check the IP address against the printer's self-test slip, and check the port is 9100.
  The kiosk screen does not load Wi-Fi, or the Kiosk address is empty. Check Wi-Fi, then check Kiosk address in the Mode card is filled in and tap Return to kiosk.

## Should you buy Chowbus Kiosk, Maple's kiosk, or neither?

If the problem at your counter is a queue and you want the lowest-effort route inside Chowbus, Chowbus Kiosk has a printed price, a stated install time and your membership program built in. If you want guests to talk instead of tap, in their own language, compare Maple's demo and its written quote line by line, not the brochure. If the problem is a ringing phone, a kiosk will not fix it: look at phone ordering, which Maple prints a price for on its [pricing page](https://maple.inc/pricing) (Pro is $350 a month, or $220 billed yearly, with no per-minute fees). For the wider cost picture read [what a restaurant kiosk costs](https://maple.inc/blog/restaurant-kiosk-cost), and for lease and buy terms [lease versus buy](https://maple.inc/blog/kiosk-lease-vs-buy). [Kiosk multilingual ordering](https://maple.inc/blog/kiosk-multilingual-ordering) and [voice ordering kiosks](https://maple.inc/blog/ai-voice-kiosk) cover languages, noise and modifiers for any POS, and the [Toast](https://maple.inc/blog/ai-voice-kiosk-toast-restaurants), [Square](https://maple.inc/blog/ai-voice-kiosk-square-restaurants) and [Clover](https://maple.inc/blog/ai-voice-kiosk-clover-restaurants) versions of this guide show how the same questions play out on other systems.

## What does it cost and when can you get it?

The kiosk is in early access with a small number of restaurants and priced per unit. There is no public price; talk to sales through the [kiosk page](https://maple.inc/kiosk) to learn where you are in line.

## Frequently asked questions

**Does Chowbus have its own kiosk?** Yes. Chowbus Kiosk is a self-service ordering system for quick-service and fast casual restaurants, priced around $1,000 per Chowbus, and its page describes touch ordering.

**Do I need a Chowbus account to use Maple's kiosk with Chowbus?** Yes: your Chowbus location ID, connected to Maple, and a Maple Pro plan.

**Can I change the menu in Maple?** Maple's Chowbus docs say menu changes are made in Chowbus and reach Maple about 1 to 2 minutes later. Those docs cover phone ordering, so ask Maple to confirm the kiosk menu works the same way.

**Which languages can guests use?** Maple answers in 13 languages. The Chowbus announcement names English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean, and says Maple stays in the language the guest starts in.

**Will it work in a loud restaurant?** Maple says its microphone points at the guest in front of it, so it picks up that voice over nearby talk and kitchen noise. Test it at your loudest hour.

**What if a guest wants a person?** They tap the staff-help button and a crew member takes over. You can also turn Maple off on any kiosk with one tap.

**Which Maple plan includes Chowbus ordering?** Pro. Voice covers answering, FAQs and call transfer.

*Published by Maple, which sells the product described here. This AI-assisted guide uses Maple's published kiosk page, Chowbus integration page, Chowbus setup docs and kiosk setup doc, the September 2, 2026 Chowbus and Maple announcement, and Chowbus's kiosk page, read November 14, 2026, with an original comparison, test and question list. It does not report a Maple test of the kiosk at a Chowbus restaurant, a customer result or a price for the kiosk.*

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Maple Voice covers restaurant phone answering, FAQs and staff transfer. Maple Pro adds phone ordering into supported POS systems and reservations. Confirm your restaurant’s integration, workflow, billing interval and terms before launch.