“Robotics....get rid of the fat twerking ass, can speak any known language employees...”
The biggest problem would be designing a customer operated touch screen so easy to use a cave man could do it as in some areas like Detroit a cave man would have superior intellect.
The biggest problem would be designing a customer operated touch screen so easy to use a cave man could do it as in some areas like Detroit a cave man would have superior intellect.They've had one for almost a decade. I know the guys who developed it.
They tested it in a few restaurants, and it seemed to work well. But for some reason, management decided not to use it. Of course, they could always change their minds if the human order takers become more trouble then they're worth.
Another interesting system they developed but decided not to deploy was a centralized call center to take orders from the restaurants drive-thru. The call center for the prototype was in (IIRC) Wyoming, where they could find quality employees who spoke understandable English. This would greatly reduce the need for order takers, since the they would only have to staff for the actual load, rather than having an order taker at each restaurant, sitting idle for a good part of the day.
One additional point: I knew many people in McDonald's corporate, and many of them started out flipping burgers at a restaurant and worked their way up to senior management positions. In fact, former CEO Charlie Bell never worked anyplace else, starting at 15 as a floor mopper and working his way up the ladder to CEO.
There's a Buc-ee's ( http://www.buc-ees.com/index.php ) nearby that has a deli sandwich counter where you order your sandwich at a kiosk with several touch screens, it couldn't be simpler. Pick your bread from the pictures, then it prompts for meat selection with pictures, then cheese, veggies, dressings and such. Submit the order and it pops up on the screen where the staff makes your sandwich. Pick out some chips and get a drink. Walk over to the counter and a friendly well dressed employee cheerfully hands you your sandwich or wrap. Yes, humans make them but ordering is completely automated. Imagine, no long line forming at the register while the clerk waits for someone to decide what they want to order or ask if they 'want fries or an apple pie with that'. It's quite an impressive operation for a simple sandwich line.
cheers