Personally, I would seek an alternative to spending money where they quit using people. - eb
Jack in the Box says it is considering swapping some cashiers with robots as the minimum wage rises in California.
"As we see the rising costs of labor, it just makes sense" to consider adding new automated technology, CEO Leonard Comma said Tuesday at the ICR Conference.
Jack in the Box previously tested technology such as kiosks. According to Comma, the kiosks resulted in a higher average check and helped with efficiency. But at the time Comma said the cost of installing the kiosks wasn't worth it.
But with minimum wages increasing, Jack in the Box is reconsidering the use of kiosks and other technology, Comma said.
Minimum wages are increasing in 18 states in 2018, including California, where the West Coast-centric Jack in the Box is based. California is on track to become the first state with a $15 minimum wage.
Jack in the Box isn't the only fast-food chain that has considered using automation to reduce labor costs and modernize.
Wendy's announced plans to install self-ordering kiosks within a year. McDonald's is adding kiosks to 2,500 stores, though it pledged not to replace cashiers with kiosks.
Smaller chains such as Eatsa and CaliBurger have been working on automating the entire restaurant experience.
"With government driving up the cost of labor, it's driving down the number of jobs," then Carl's Jr. and Hardee's CEO Andy Puzder told Business Insider in 2016. "You're going to see automation not just in airports and grocery stores, but in restaurants."
Now for a digression. Our most centrally located McDonalds was shut down for over a year for 'remodeling'. What they actually did was total demolition. When they reopened, there was about half the seating and two lanes for placing orders. More recently, they remodeled the McD in Cuba, NM. It took them two months of lost income, but they came back with less than half the seats.
I'm kind of guessing it takes a lot less manpower to operate drive thru windows than to have people at the counter and keeping the dining room clean. Keep an eye out for this in the future.
Similarly, I don't go to stores which have a customer take their cart through a scanner so a clerk is not needed. It adds up to another job or several jobs lost so the company chiefs will get a bigger profit and check for themselves.
That would be me, if we had grocery stores with out self scan. So far, the only place in town that is exclusively self scan is Home Depot, and we do have a Lowes with more helpful people on the floor.
0 Replies
izzythepush
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Thu 11 Jan, 2018 01:52 am
@edgarblythe,
Over here most big supermarkets have self service counters. I use them all the time, they're a lot quicker.
Some are better than others, some take a while for the item to register and you can't scan your next item until the message telling you to place the item you've just scanned in the bagging area, the one you placed in the bagging two minutes ago.
And we've all learned to hate the phrase, 'Unexpected item in bagging area.'
Overall though it's a positive. There's still people working in the self service area, they're the ones who tell the machines there's no bloody unexpected item where it shouldn't be.
You've probably got more time. Self service is mostly frequented by people in a hurry with one or two items.
And there are plenty of people about too.
0 Replies
izzythepush
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Thu 11 Jan, 2018 02:26 am
The thread title is a bit of a misnomer. Increased mechanisation has been going on since the industrial revolution. This really is no different. Maybe the self service has replaced a few people, but there's still plenty of people there.
It's not like Tezcorp.
0 Replies
tsarstepan
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Thu 11 Jan, 2018 06:52 pm
@edgarblythe,
If I wouldn't go to the fast food joint human workers (quality of the food, price, taste, etc..: McDonalds for example), I doubt the inclusion of robots would lure me in as well.
As for self-ordering kiosks? To me that's a completely different beast than a restaurant that would use automation for manufacturing the meal.
Yes. I would frequent places I already frequent that use self-ordering kiosks AKA Shake Shack. No different than ordering ones food on a smartphone app or online pickup/delivery site.
0 Replies
tsarstepan
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Thu 11 Jan, 2018 06:54 pm
@izzythepush,
izzythepush wrote:
Over here most big supermarkets have self service counters. I use them all the time, they're a lot quicker.
If this was a greater option, I would choose to use them more. For now, I use them at available convenient stores and Home Depots as well.
0 Replies
farmerman
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Wed 17 Jan, 2018 11:27 am
@roger,
I recall, when I was a kid. My dad loved McD's burgers and wed trip over to one on occasion ("Mom doesnt need to know "). They had NO seats. It was all window service and take out only. You could eat in the parking lot and in few years they added picnic tables.
Just before my mom died, I was talking with her an I hadda confess that Dad made me keep the secret about eating at McD'S. She aid that she knew because she always saw burger wrappers next to the door on my side. I was kinda OCD, Id smooth ND fold up the wrappers and put them in the little map pocket on the window sides of the passenger. The only time I got to ride "Shotgun" was when me and Dqd went out for stuff
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maporsche
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Wed 17 Jan, 2018 11:55 am
I have no qualms about using robots in place of people, when the robots are just as/more efficient. Sometimes they are not.
I can't wait for the time like in Star Trek when food and resources are so plentiful that more people have time for leisure.
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