We’ve seen it in Australia and across the world – the rise of robot service. There are self-service kiosks for airport check-ins, grocery check-outs and ATM banking transactions. We never thought our food service would be run by robots though.
There's a trend sweeping the fast food industry in America (and a little at McDonalds in Australia). America are now doing server-less service, where people still cook your meals but you don’t interact with anyone when you buy it. It’s all punch and pay.
American fast food joint Wendy’s is replacing its human workers with self-service kiosks and people are claiming it’s because of the rise in minimum wage.
Wendy's will replace cashiers with touch-screen machines that customers can place their orders on. According to , “Wendy’s says the move will cut costs, and it’s likely to cut thousands of jobs.”
Protests for higher wage outside Wendy's. Source: Getty Images
Apparently it’s America’s answer to the recent "Fight for 15" campaign pushing to raise minimum wages to $15 per hour across the country.
Wendy’s isn’t the only fast food joint to turn to robot service. Burger chain Carl’s Jr. (that has franchises in Australia too) may be turning to people-less service. The company’s CEO Andy Puzder told that he has automated restaurant plans.
“We could have a restaurant that’s focused on all-natural products…where you order on a kiosk, you pay with a credit or debit card, your order pops up, and you never see a person,” he told the publication.
During his interview Pudzer admits that as the government drives up the minimum wage – and cost of labour – they’re diminishing the number of jobs. He also said that millennials like “not” seeing people.
Other fast food chains such as because of the wage increase too.
McDonalds in Australia has started putting tap screens in their restaurants so people can order from their “Create your Taste” menu self-sufficiently. However, according to McDonalds isn’t planning to decrease their number of workers.
Instead it may be able to move employees from cash registers to the kitchen and speed up its customer service. The new technology could help many franchises who say they’re understaffed.
The new rise in technology service is worrying for many. A new Los Angeles-based chain that has recently expanded to San Francisco called has removed all human interaction from the food experience.
A McDonalds self-serve tap screen menu. (Getty Images) Source: Getty Images
You order on an in-store iPad or on your phone, you pick up your made-to-order bowl of food in a personalised cubby – no human servers in sight.
If this is the way of the future there’ll be no need for service with a smile.
