Posted on 12/01/2016 8:25:27 AM PST by SeekAndFind
In light of several cities passing $15 an hour minimum wage laws, McDonald's will install self-serve kiosks at many locations around the country. Wendy's has already gone the automated ordering route and othe fast food outlets are seriously considering it.
Supporters of the $15 hourly wage claim that few jobs will be lost as result of automation. They say the self serve kiosks will make workers more efficient in dealing with the ordering process. That may be true (as explained here). But the near doubling of the minimum wage in most cities will be done incrementally, ostensibly to soften the blow to businesses. But that kind of thinking ignores the flash point where labor costs cannot be compensated for by raising prices. Eventually, something is going to have to give.
It’s not just McDonald’s that has embraced job-replacing technology. Numerous restaurant chains (both quick service and full service) have looked to computer tablets as a solution for rising labor costs that won’t adversely impact the customer’s experience. Eatsa, a fully-automated restaurant concept, now has five locations—all in cities or states that have embraced a $15 minimum wage. And in a scene stolen from The Jetsons, the Starship delivery robot is now navigating the streets of San Francisco with groceries and other consumer goods. The company’s founder pointed to a rising minimum wage as a key factor driving the growth of his automated delivery business.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
...Kiosks face other consumer issues. Among them, says Boston University’s Muller, is germs. “They are terrible carriers of viruses and bacteria. Almost no one ever cleans them, especially in a restaurant environment,” he says. “Expect more food-borne illnesses to be reported as they become more standard.”
My friend does the same thing ..She goes anywhere,the wipes are with her....
On the other hand, people without job don’t buy much of anything, sot it all balances out.
FWIW, the only fast food joint I will happily frequent is Chick Fil A. Every one I’ve been in has been immaculate. Only prob is closest one is hours away. Sigh.
It’s just a matter of time.... The fast food worker is going the way of the dodo bird. Mechanized fast food, you pay with your debit and it slides out on a tray with no dirty teenager hands touching your food at any point. Push button orders, selecting the ingredients and quantities you prefer and returning fast food to what it used to be. Fast.
Maybe the $15 minimum wage is a good idea after all.
I went to Chick Fil A a number of times. In my opinion the food is good. Hired help are very courteous. I’ve been trying to go there more often. I’m still angry at how the left targeted them for destruction over homosexual marriage. So I vote with my feet and go there more than I might otherwise get chicken sandwiches.
Off topic but I’ve heard that de blasio in New York recently called again for boycott of Chick Fil A, yet their outlet in Manhattan has lines out the door every weekday.
I wonder how filthy those kiosks are.....
****************
Probably not any more filthy than the table you sit at to eat, etc.
snip
In 2013, fast food chains Chili’s and Applebees installed hundreds of thousands of tableside
tablets that allows customers to order and pay their bill without ever talking to a waiter.
Those firms were soon followed by Buffalo Wild Wings, Panera Bread, Olive Garden and
dozens others. Darden Restaurants, which owns popular chains such as Olive Garden,
Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse and Bahama Breeze Grille, recently said it would introduce
tablets at all its U.S. restaurants by the end of this year.
For decades in Japan, establishments have customers order at a vending machine or kiosk before
sitting down to eat. Today in North America, the digital equivalent is driving sales for some
firms. In July, Domino’s Pizza, which has more than five thousand stores across the United
States, credited a move towards digital ordering for a strong strong second quarter earnings,
noting that more than half of its orders now come through its web site, text messages, or even tweets.
end snip
Can you imagine the long lines because people can’t read and if they make a mistake on their order...geeze.
Never been really impressed by BU's School of Public Health, or whatever it is. (MBA from BU, btw...)
The article fails to point out that "unsanitary kiosks" will create a source of revenue for municipalities if not addressed, as well as a need for self-sanitizing modifications to the kiosks.
What's the damn difference between shopping carts in stores, and a kiosk?
Until then, smarter people will adapt, from their own wipes, cleanable styluses, or even a napkin to protect themselves.
I remember the IS class on kiosks in the early 1990s. I was the one that complained about being guaranteed to be behind the mother with six kids, all wanting to enter their own orders. Didn't even think about sanitation.
The dems think they can force businesses to give more money to employees. The dems don’t know what it means to run a business and to have to realize a profit.
If expenses exceed revenues, you lose money. Dems can’t understand that.
Maybe they will finally get orders right.
A lot of overlap between the previous statement and the following one:
Thanks to the democrats and their hatred toward blacks.
Doesn’t affect me, I never go to mickey d’s anyway. Ate there 2 times in the early 70’s, got sick as a dog both times, never went back.
Also quit Wendy’s long ago when the size got smaller and burgers were basically tasteless. I don’t even go in for a whatever they call it shake type thingie any more, last time I did barely enough chocolate in it to tell it was there. It was like somebody whispered “chocolate” into the cup.
The profit margin is so small in fast food, something like 5%, they can’t afford to double their minimum wage. They have a couple of choices...
Increase prices, nobody would pay $20 for a big mac.
Layoff employees or reduce hours, or both...employees wouldn’t like that.
Or this. Install kiosks and bye bye lazy high school kids who haven’t figured out yet they have to show up and actually do their damn job.
I had a friend who ran a Sonic in Louisiana, I worked on his computers, that’s how we met. I had to install an internet ready machine for their online training.
He told me his employee turnover was 3 months at best, they wouldn’t show up, or showed up late, he had to ride them constantly to get anything done, he couldn’t keep them off their cell phones, he and his wife both worked something like 80 hours a week. He told me one day he couldn’t find anyone who actually wanted to do their job...that would be the very first person to get a raise. Instead he was constantly hiring new ones to replace the dead weight.
Quite a few times I came by for coffee at opening time and he was opening late because someone failed to show up...15 minutes late opening cost him a lot. (that’s how long it took him to drive to town) I had no idea how many people showed up at 6AM for coffee...6AM and a dozen cars in the place waiting for coffee.
Thanks Libs!
I hate the things. Never use them
I want ti interject one more thought into this thread.
For the record, the McDonalds kiosk technology is already out of date. The actual cutting edge food ordering technology is already up and running well in several, that is several, different versions in China.
The leading version is an ap connected to both restaurant aps and payment aps. One opens the ap on his phone, goes to the selected eatery button (he can have several) , calls up the menu, places his order that is delivered from the phone to the eatery. The order is prepared and the customer picks it up. On pickup, the restaurant computer closes it with the payment ap that charges the customers account.
That is reality now and is the future here
I know that’s true.
A normal min wage worker could not be taking the time off work to hold up signs and march. I don’t think that’s such a bad thing, btw.
Something the left never seems to be able to grasp is the law of “unintended consequences”. They think of only the PROS of every policy.
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