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General discussion

Automated Ordering

Feb 21, 2006 11:32PM PST

I caught this link to a Flickr page through Boing Boing. It seems to be an kiosk for ordering your food at a KFC/Taco Bell.

http://flickr.com/photos/beersy/sets/72057594068320231/

Cool idea, right? No need to hover in line and wait for the "barely-above-the-minimum wage" worker to try and get it right. You control the order. It goes back to the folks preparing the food, you're served and off you go. But, it reveals so much about where our culture is. The initial contact within a fast food restaurant (such as McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc.) is the brand itself. There are certain expectations walking into the restaurant. But, that person behind the counter is a steward of that brand. And, it's the only living, breathing contact with the restaurant. (McDonald's is capitalizing on that very idea with the "First Job" spot that's running during the Olympics: http://www.qsrweb.com/article.php?id=293). With the advancement of technology, tied into the ordering system, Yum! Brands (the restaurant company that owns KFC, etc.) is essentially testing the waters in giving up on their staff and delegating the task to the kiosks.

Now, don't get me wrong... I was the first on my block to jump for joy when my local grocery store put in those scanners to check out. I never go into a convenience store anymore, purchasing my gas at the pump. And, yes, there are jobs that become extinct over time. But, is the brand image alone enough to replace employees? Are you more apt to ordering if you knew that had a kiosk? Efficency is good, but at what cost to the workforce the restaurant employs?

Thoughts?

Discussion is locked

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Very cool, but nothing new
Feb 21, 2006 11:54PM PST

Here in Virginia, some of the gas station/convenience store-type places already have this. The Sheetz branches have what they call MTO (Made To Order), where you walk up to a monitor, punch in what you want, and wait for you number to be called. Really convenient. No goofing up your order (unless you goofed it up yourself), and it's much quicker too.

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Sure...
Feb 22, 2006 2:37AM PST

I agree. The technology has been with us for a while. What I found remarkable is this:

* Consumers don't want to deal with people anymore. For example, You are able to go to a grocery store, fill up your cart and check-out all without having to make any contact with someone from the store. In the case of fast food, the consumer comes in contact when they receive their food.

* Fast-food checkout clerks/attendants skill level is such that they can easily be replaced. And, technology is savvy enough that (tied into ordering, accounting, etc.) the cashier becomes an unnecessary gatekeeper to the process.

* Businesses can save on costs by investing in technology over a minimum/low wage employee. Your kiosk is less likely to leave after three months. Their representative to the restaurant experience is left up to the screen in front of you instead of a person. (Good if all you can find are surly cashiers; bad if your kiosk is apt to blue-screen often).

It's basically a form of outsourcing. We've already experienced much of this on any tech support call when it is routed to India. There is work that could be done by people that no one wants to do, no one is willing to pay for and no consumer wants to deal with. Contrast that with the example with McDonald's, who are highlighting former employees in prime-time spots during the Olympics. If anything, I would've guessed that McDonald's would be an organization jumping at the chance to automate their purchases. So, good-on-ya for that.

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What is old is new again.
Feb 22, 2006 12:37AM PST

I used those over 10 years ago. It worked well enough.

-> Look up the origins of the food automat (google) and those were very popular.

Bob