4 ms·

Also in the customer service segment, we continue to accelerate the move to wipe out fast food jobs. Four million people work in fast food restaurants in the US

Also in the customer service segment, we continue to accelerate the move to wipe out fast food jobs. Four million people work in fast food restaurants in the US. I'll be surprised if around 1/4 to 1/3 of those jobs don't vanish this decade. That is part of the automation revolution and it is underway. Just the process of automating ordering at fast food restaurants as we already easily can, will remove several hundred thousand jobs permanently.

maxerickson 6y ago
Fast food automates tasks more than jobs. Which the link doesn't particularly seem to be analyzing. McDonalds eliminating ~1 near minimum wage job at every store isn't going to be reflected in wages of the remaining employees.
- toast0 6y ago
  Wages are going up, so McDonalds is reducing the number of jobs. If you come inside to order, you have to fill your own drink; if you drive through, a robot does it. Stores have ordering kiosks and app based ordering so less staff needs to take orders. They've experimented with call center drive through processing before (it didn't work well at the time). It's harder to see, but they do lots of labor saving in the kitchen too.
  - dougmwne 6y ago
    The Founder was a nice movie about McDonald's founding. They have automation and labor-saving devices and processes cooked right into their early DNA. Recent efforts around automated ordering are just the last straw in a long line of efficiency optimizations.
pragmatic 6y ago
The sceptic in me wonders how much capital the fast food industry is willing to invest to replace cheap labor. I'm not really arguing with you just reflecting on my own experiences with current start of the art tech. "Did you say at fries to that?" No "Added 27 orders of fries, anything else" Arghhhh!
- gremlinsinc 6y ago
  w/ touch screen you don't need to 'speak' unless maybe blind or something... So, you could be more accurate.. I mean I ALWAYS use mobile ordering now when going through drive through. I'll pull over, sit for a moment, place my order, then get in line.
  - yurishimo 6y ago
    Since COVID started I've been using some mobile ordering apps more and more. One of my new favorites is Whataburger here in Texas. Texans know that Whataburger is infamous for being slow since everything is made to order. In-n-Out has figured it out but Whataburger is still so slow for some reason. With the app, I can place an order in my driveway, then arrive at the drive thru about the time its ready. If I'm lucky, I can skip the line and pull up and have it brought out in a few minutes. What used to be a 20 minute parking lot wait crawling through the line is now 5~ minutes. Sometimes if it's busy or late at night and they don't have as many staff, I have to wait my turn in line, but I'm usually not sitting for 5 minutest at the window after paying waiting for the grill. Oh and that's another benefit. Apple Pay makes it seamless to place an order and not deal with CCs that are wearing out being declined. My biggest complaint is still being required to download a separate app for each restaurant, but for now I can tuck them all away into a folder and forget they exist. If an app isn't in my home screen, I'm going to open it from a spotlight search. For restaurants I don't visit as frequently, I'll call them and place an order for pickup. This also has the benefit of not incurring many of the BS fees that specialty online ordering platforms charge. It's going to take me a few minutes to order anyway, app or call, so I might as well save 10% by calling.
    - thaumasiotes 6y ago
      > Texans know that Whataburger is infamous for being slow since everything is made to order. In-n-Out has figured it out but Whataburger is still so slow for some reason. The analysis is obviously incomplete. Making your order to order, in a timely fashion, was the point that distinguished Burger King from McDonald's.

maxerickson 6y ago

Fast food automates tasks more than jobs. Which the link doesn't particularly seem to be analyzing. McDonalds eliminating ~1 near minimum wage job at every store isn't going to be reflected in wages of the remaining employees.

toast0 6y ago
Wages are going up, so McDonalds is reducing the number of jobs. If you come inside to order, you have to fill your own drink; if you drive through, a robot does it. Stores have ordering kiosks and app based ordering so less staff needs to take orders. They've experimented with call center drive through processing before (it didn't work well at the time). It's harder to see, but they do lots of labor saving in the kitchen too.
- dougmwne 6y ago
  The Founder was a nice movie about McDonald's founding. They have automation and labor-saving devices and processes cooked right into their early DNA. Recent efforts around automated ordering are just the last straw in a long line of efficiency optimizations.

pragmatic 6y ago

The sceptic in me wonders how much capital the fast food industry is willing to invest to replace cheap labor. I'm not really arguing with you just reflecting on my own experiences with current start of the art tech. "Did you say at fries to that?" No "Added 27 orders of fries, anything else" Arghhhh!

gremlinsinc 6y ago
w/ touch screen you don't need to 'speak' unless maybe blind or something... So, you could be more accurate.. I mean I ALWAYS use mobile ordering now when going through drive through. I'll pull over, sit for a moment, place my order, then get in line.
- yurishimo 6y ago
  Since COVID started I've been using some mobile ordering apps more and more. One of my new favorites is Whataburger here in Texas. Texans know that Whataburger is infamous for being slow since everything is made to order. In-n-Out has figured it out but Whataburger is still so slow for some reason. With the app, I can place an order in my driveway, then arrive at the drive thru about the time its ready. If I'm lucky, I can skip the line and pull up and have it brought out in a few minutes. What used to be a 20 minute parking lot wait crawling through the line is now 5~ minutes. Sometimes if it's busy or late at night and they don't have as many staff, I have to wait my turn in line, but I'm usually not sitting for 5 minutest at the window after paying waiting for the grill. Oh and that's another benefit. Apple Pay makes it seamless to place an order and not deal with CCs that are wearing out being declined. My biggest complaint is still being required to download a separate app for each restaurant, but for now I can tuck them all away into a folder and forget they exist. If an app isn't in my home screen, I'm going to open it from a spotlight search. For restaurants I don't visit as frequently, I'll call them and place an order for pickup. This also has the benefit of not incurring many of the BS fees that specialty online ordering platforms charge. It's going to take me a few minutes to order anyway, app or call, so I might as well save 10% by calling.
  - thaumasiotes 6y ago
    > Texans know that Whataburger is infamous for being slow since everything is made to order. In-n-Out has figured it out but Whataburger is still so slow for some reason. The analysis is obviously incomplete. Making your order to order, in a timely fashion, was the point that distinguished Burger King from McDonald's.