automated

[HONDO74]

I figured it was just a matter of time before this took over.....

McDonald's unveils first automated location, social media worried it will cut 'millions' of jobs
Customers can fully avoid interacting with any humans during their order and pickup
https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/ ... lions-jobs

McDonald’s opened its first automated restaurant, with machines handling everything from taking orders to delivering the food – and dividing opinions everywhere.

"When you step inside the test restaurant concept, you'll notice it's considerably smaller than a traditional McDonald's restaurant in the U.S.," McDonald’s said in a statement. "Why? The features—inside and outside—are geared toward customers who are planning to dine at home or on the go."

The Fort Worth, Texas, location uses technology to minimize human interaction when ordering and picking up food. The restaurant features an "Order Ahead Lane" where customers can receive orders by conveyor belt, Newsweek reported.

The initiative is part of McDonald’s "Accelerating the Arches" plan, which works to grow and innovate the customer experience, but not everyone is pleased with the direction the restaurant chain has chosen.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

What's old is new again.......

Does no one remember Horn & Hardart? Opened their first automat back in 1902.

I remember these in Philly when I was a kid.

[robert.]

What's old is new again.......

Does no one remember Horn & Hardart? Opened their first automat back in 1902.

I remember these in Philly when I was a kid.

H&H did not have machines make their sandwiches. I remember the one next to Reading terminal. That wad a special holiday treat. Usually Black Friday train ride into the city. H&H made a comeback in name only with the Doylestown Inn. I believe it ended in bankruptcy.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

H&H did not have machines make their sandwiches.

Neither does McDonald’s.

McDonald’s said the restaurant has a separate "order ahead lane" in its drive-thru that involves a conveyor belt giving customers the food and drinks they ordered via app. The special lane uses "technology that allows the restaurant team to begin preparing customers’ orders when they’re near the restaurant," according to the blog post.

Might read this and the read of the story more carefully: ...that allows the restaurant team to begin preparing customers’ orders... - pretty clear that this is only automating the ordering and delivery operations; humans are still preparing the food. Also eliminates the dine in option - grab & go is the market it's targeting.

Not sure if this is really big change anyway - it's been a lot of years since I've been in a McDonald's where the entire staff was not heavily focused on the drive through operation for that long line of cars. Placing an order was stand around and wait........ Dine in space was 75% or more empty - wasted square footage. Eliminate the order in person and dine in and reduce space costs.

As for threatening jobs -- don't get a degree in Art History and get one in a STEM area and get a real job.

[robert.]

I hit a Burger King north of DC. 3 years ago. That was pre-covid. They had a touchpad ordering system along with a cashier less pay system. WaWa had their orders the same way.

[up148]

McDonald's unveils first automated location, social media worried it will cut 'millions' of jobs

Wow, that statement speaks volumes. It used to be watchdog groups, government offices and think tanks that commented on technology taking jobs or ???? Now the idiots in social media are considered legitimate enough to have a clue and a worthwhile opinion. Good grief Charlie Brown.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

.......the idiots in social media.......

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I hit a Burger King north of DC. 3 years ago. That was pre-covid. They had a touchpad ordering system along with a cashier less pay system. WaWa had their orders the same way.

Lots have been doing that for several years; Sheetz and Panera come to mind as two examples.

[robert.]

Funny thing is. I like placing my order with a touch screen. I have better results in getting what I want.
Watchdog groups post on social media. They can reach more people that way. They all have tons of followers.

[E7]

Might read this and the read of the story more carefully: ...that allows the restaurant team to begin preparing customers’ orders... - pretty clear that this is only automating the ordering and delivery operations; humans are still preparing the food. Also eliminates the dine in option - grab & go is the market it's targeting.

NO! What eliminates the "Dine In" option is the customer when they pull their car into the drive through lane. The only way they are dining in otherwise is, if after they have received their order, they park and go into the restaurant seating area.

I doubt this hardly ever happens, but it is a possibility.

Bah Humbug!

[up148]

Watchdog groups post on social media.

Sorry, I abhor social media and know very little about it, joining none, but I know I'm the odd man out. I guess it is the perfect way to sway public opinion. I suppose our forum is considered social media to some extent.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Sorry, I abhor social media and know very little about it, joining none, but I know I'm the odd man out.

Nope. Not at all!

I guess it is the perfect way to sway public opinion.

Works on the sheeple; we've seen that work on those that would rather believe than think for themselves. Thinking is sort of like math - it's hard....

I suppose our forum is considered social media to some extent.

True.

[Mitch]

Watchdog groups post on social media.

Sorry, I abhor social media and know very little about it, joining none, but I know I'm the odd man out. I guess it is the perfect way to sway public opinion. I suppose our forum is considered social media to some extent.

I'm with you, 148. No Twitter, no Facebook, (META) no Instagram, and certainly no TikTok, though I do use Google. After the Twitter exposures where the FBI and the intelligence services were paying Twitter to restrict content that may have been harmful to the Biden Administration by labeling the Hunter Laptop as disinformation when the FBI clearly had the real thing for months before the New York Post article, and with Zuckerberg's admission that they did the same at Facebook, we know that Big Tech is in the tank with the government. And since we know that all of Big Tech (and therefore the government) is monitoring and spying on us, why invite the Chinese Communists into your entire life by loading TikTok? Bad enough I used Chrome on my PC to peruse the Rockler Woodworking Tool catalog and now I get six advertisements a day on my phone. Google is into everything!

[robert.]

Watchdog groups post on social media.

Sorry, I abhor social media and know very little about it, joining none, but I know I'm the odd man out. I guess it is the perfect way to sway public opinion. I suppose our forum is considered social media to some extent.

I'm with you, 148. No Twitter, no Facebook, (META) no Instagram, and certainly no TikTok, though I do use Google. After the Twitter exposures where the FBI and the intelligence services were paying Twitter to restrict content that may have been harmful to the Biden Administration by labeling the Hunter Laptop as disinformation when the FBI clearly had the real thing for months before the New York Post article, and with Zuckerberg's admission that they did the same at Facebook, we know that Big Tech is in the tank with the government. And since we know that all of Big Tech (and therefore the government) is monitoring and spying on us, why invite the Chinese Communists into your entire life by loading TikTok? Bad enough I used Chrome on my PC to peruse the Rockler Woodworking Tool catalog and now I get six advertisements a day on my phone. Google is into everything!

Us duckduckgo!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

..... (and therefore the government) is monitoring and spying on us....

Hardly new or recent. Been happening for as long as any of us has been alive, and then codified w/o much in the way of strings attached after 9/11.