Posted on 03/25/2016 11:17:04 AM PDT by TroutStalker
Consumer preferences, reduced technology costs and government policies that increase labor costs are driving a trend toward automation in the restaurant business. If you make something more convenient and less expensive, it tends to catch on.
As recently as the 1960s, gas-station employees would rush to fill your car’s tank, wash the windows, check the oil and put air in the tires. Telephone operators made your long-distance calls and bank tellers cashed your checks. Those jobs now are either gone or greatly diminished.
Today, we reduce jobs whenever we shop on Amazon instead of our local retail outlet, use an Uber app rather than calling a cab dispatcher, order a pizza online, use an airport kiosk to print boarding passes, or scan groceries. Each of these changes in behavior has increased convenience and reduced labor costs—and competitive businesses pass the savings to their customers.
In the restaurant business, the increasing impact of technology doesn’t mean that a robot will soon roll up to your table and say, “Hi, I’m Trudi4783. I’ll be your automated server today.” But technology can replace certain functions. Touch screens are already transforming the way food is ordered in many restaurants.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
That cute Native American whose trinkets you want to sell is a ROBOT.
True! In the future, suppose there is a basketball game to be played, and the teams are roughly even in ability. All you need to do is feed the stats to a megagoogootrillobitegazongo A/I computer and it will tell you who will win. Therefore, the game need not be played! Sports fans are going to be so pissed!
Businesses, not just restaurants, will soon eliminate “jobs”. Then the Trumpbots will be blaming the businesses for destroying “their” jobs. I cannot wait for 3D printers to completely destroy whats-left-of manufacturing. “American” “jobs” will be done by 4 by 3 foot machines. The “workers” will be passing their time by attending Trump and Bernie’s rallies on their way to welfare booths (run by robots, of course).
Maybe Trump will replace his rally supporters with robots and Move-on and Black Lives will replace their protesters with robots......
Wish we had it in Memphis because I get so pissed at the natives “working” in restaurants there. Last two times I took my children out to eat I ended up using foul language in front of them because I was so pissed off at the poor service
Wish we had it in Memphis because I get so pissed at the natives “working” in restaurants there. Last two times I took my children out to eat I ended up using foul language in front of them because I was so pissed off at the poor service
You’re welcome.
Sorry, but you should know better than to make a special order at McDonald’s.
Any fast food place.... order it as it comes, or don’t order it at all.
You’re thinking too small. What about when androids and AI’s are combined to make sentient-equivalent women? Imagine men suddenly having a viable alternative to a horrendously stacked legal system where their marriage vows had as much protection for their assets as a pinky-promise on the playground.
Yep. It's called "pricing oneself out of the market" and then complaining about "the market" and the "capitalist greed" and the "banksters" and whoever/whatever else the OWC crowd come up with...
The fear of automation and increase in productivity has been as old as Ned Ludd (and the Luddites).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.