Several years before the Plandemic, there was a pizza place in San Francisco. I do not know if it survived the Plandemic. When you walked into the rectangular-shaped pizza shop, there were no human workers in sight. At a kiosk, or on your phone, you could order a slice, or an entire pizza. Once your order/payment received, there could be be one or more breathing humans working, but not in sight. Eventually your slice or whole pizza appeared in the slot. (Then again, fast food giants have developed machines that can make 300 burgers an hour, so I imagine the pizza machine exists already).
With the advance of AI/GPS and drones, I can see a time when the pizza delivery will also not involve humans. Drones, burger machines, etc do not need benefits, health care, etc. They don’t strike, or call in sick. The maintenance guy will be busy.
Yes, there was a trend for some ‘fast food’ types of businesses that had the kitchen hidden behind a wall that started right before the worldwide political shutdown of small businesses. Humans were there preparing the food, but you didn’t interact with anyone. Your order just came sliding out. All done by kiosk or phone.
Not sure if that trend ever worked or re-started, but you are right. At some point it just becomes more economical to automate. Limited staff, limited scheduling, never a sick day, machines can work 24/7/365, doesn’t require health insurance, doesn’t talk back, never slack etc. Business owners can finance the machines, amortize the expense, and alleviate headaches. Over a relatively short time they pay for themselves. Just need maintenance which could be a limiting factor in their roll-out. If they break down, your restaurant is closed. McDonalds has had lots of trouble with just their ice cream machines.