Agree that brand is a finicky and powerful beast. And I picked Starbucks because it's the most ambitious example I could think of. It will be a while before UX

Agree that brand is a finicky and powerful beast. And I picked Starbucks because it's the most ambitious example I could think of. It will be a while before UX and polish of any automated (or mostly hands-off) storefront could compete favorably with our current servant-based systems. But even in the case of ambitious examples, I think we'll get there. There are beloved brands that exist mostly as apps, which compete successfully with human-staffed storefronts. Unstaffed or mostly-automated physical storefronts haven't proven they can offer a quality experience yet when it comes to food and drink, but that could change; it's always possible that robotic attempts to date are the equivalent of hand-cranked washing machines.