Ever been to a Taco Bell?
They don't prepare any of the raw ingredients. Everything comes bagged pre-cut and the meats are pre-cooked and only need to be warmed.
Nothing that happens behind the counter are beyond the capabilities of a properly designed automated system - call it a robot if you like. Right now, its just a question of economics.
At some point, the minimum wage will be high enough to justify the cost of a fully automated fast-food joint, and everyone behind the counter will be out of a job - and permanently because the cost of that type of machine will have to be spread out over years into the future for a store operator. IMHO, its only a matter of time. As soon as that happens, it will cascade through the industry as quickly as the products of the various companies are compatible. Some McDonalds already have robotic drink-filling machines in the drive-through window.
I like that concept. It will prevent future Jesse Jackson wannabes from spitting in my Coke.
Several years ago I learned what kills jobs. A friend of mine was thinking of starting a one-man business and part of his research involved talking to the operators of similar ventures. His biggest concern was red tape, so he asked them how onerous the government paperwork was. Every person he asked gave him the same answer: "You'll be fine, just as long as you don't hire any employees."
this occured with the invention of the replicator on star trek... all the restaurants closed and no one had to work because their food was always there... not only that, but replicating $20 and $100 became commonplace to the point where the minimum wage was 1245.00 an hour... no one needed to work. finally, they started shipping low life no working folks into space and eventually the replicators broke down and there were no repairmen to fix them... things started to get back to normal, but then some wise acre told the only working replicator to replicate itself and well, the rest is history.
teeman
live long and prosper