[AnotherUnixGeek]

Well, Wendy’s just proved us right and announced that they’re rolling out self-service kiosks “nationwide” to their 6000 stores later this year

What will these self-service kiosks actually do? There are already self-service kiosks to get drinks in many fast food places - does this just add things like pies and cole slaw to that? I don't believe Wendy's could roll out robotics which could replace the process of cooking frozen burgers and fries this quickly. Can't come fast enough for me - the number of food poisoning cases will probably plummet and the quality of fast food preparation will probably rise as people are taken out of the process.

[rbg81]

Kiosks will not reduce the fast food workforce to zero, but it will reduce it by maybe 10-20%. Eventually, automation may reduce labor by 80-90%, but that may take 1-2 decades.

My daughter is a part-time waitress at a chain that has installed mini kiosks at tables. Basically, it allows the wait staff to handle about 20% more tables per person. This is good and bad. Good: faster service and more tips for those actually working. Bad: fewer wait staff needed, fewer hours per week.

[knittnmom]

In this context, a self service kiosk is a display at which customers can place orders without interacting with a person. The display has a graphical representation of the menu items. the customer chooses, then taps the next button, and chooses from that subset of the menu, and so on, until the order is complete, then it is submitted. Kind of like ordering over the internet.