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Submitted via IRC for AndyTheAbsurd
Gone are the heady days of cashiers asking if you want your order "supersized."
Not only has the infamous upgrade gone by the wayside, but cashiers at fast-food restaurants are becoming increasingly uncommon. McDonald's started rolling out ordering kiosks at its US locations in 2015, and the chain hasn't looked back since: by 2020, most of its 14,000 locations will have kiosks installed.
Panera Bread has also committed to digital ordering. Admittedly, when I first tried it in 2015, I found it had decidedly dystopian vibes. But it ended up being a fairly pleasant and painless experience.
A recent poll conducted by Business Insider's partner MSN suggests that diners aren't big fans of automated kiosks: 78% of customers said they would be less inclined to go to a restaurant that has automated ordering kiosks.
The popular narrative is that kiosks and mobile ordering are here to take jobs and hours away from underpaid cashiers, ultimately saving companies money in the face of rising labor costs — but the data suggests that isn't true. It may be true for some, but most chains are simply reallocating labor behind the scenes. And with such a tight labor market, many chains are struggling to hire and retain customer-facing employees.
Americans don't seem too threatened by automation in general. Nationally, only 21% of responders to MSN's poll believe their job may one day be done by machines. And restaurants like automated ordering for its increased accuracy and efficiency as more chains look towards cashless options.
But for now, a question remains: are kiosks, in fact, better for customers?
Source: Business Insider
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Whoever on Saturday March 31 2018, @10:08PM (3 children)
What does anyone expect? The terminals reduce interaction with other humans. Of course Soylantis approve.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by fyngyrz on Saturday March 31 2018, @10:51PM (1 child)
This isn't a carhop where the "other humans" are carefully selected cuties on roller skates who gleefully wiggle their parts at you and collect tips from drooling customers for their efforts.
No, this is a wage slave dungeon with unhappy, unlovely people who don't give the south end of a northbound rat for your concerns, which inevitably shows up as lack of accuracy with which they handle your order.
It's not that I don't like people. Not at all. I don't like misery. The less of that there is, the better I like it.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Sunday April 01 2018, @01:47AM
Yes! I usually go to places where the people running the joint aren't idiots: intelligent, caring people I get along with fine. It's those idiot sheeple who can't make decisions for themselves and can't think at all that drive me nuts.
I like going where stupid levels are low and avoid places where it is high (which is why I avoid mcdees and go to places like A&W, or mom and pop places).
Too many peoples is dumb.
I don't mind people: I mind stupid.
(Stupid is:
"He my babby daddy",
"Who are you wearing?"
"I just watched Dr. Oz and he says this product is amazing...do you have it?"
Jersey Shore
)
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 01 2018, @01:03AM
damn skippy. and no machine ever spit in the food, either.