OK, so it's not exactly Capt. Jean-Luc Picard's food replicator, but it would seem that McDonald's is at least heading in that direction.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - McDonald's has eliminated the middle man standing between the fast food lover and his burger, with an advanced test of technology that promises to shorten lines and give consumers more control over ordering.
Outside Chicago in St. Charles, Illinois, longtime McDonald's Corp. franchisee John Lardas has reconfigured his restaurant, replacing three ordering stations manned by employees at the front counter with one traditional station and four stand-alone computers, or kiosks.
"You see no lines because people are spreading themselves out," said Lardas, who estimates that 70 percent of customers now opt to use the technology.
McDonald's, which only recently admitted its service problems and vowed to fix them, is ironing the kinks out of technology some believe will transform fast food the way similar systems have revolutionized bank transactions and airport check-ins.
Each kiosk allows a customer to place an order directly with the kitchen, using a touch screen with pictures of food, English or Spanish text and verbal prompts.
Hey, why pay workers minimum wage when you no longer need workers? McDonald's is hardly the first or the only company to head in this direction. The Kroger down the street in Seabrook now has four self-checkout machines that function as an express lane. I'm a convert; the machines are easy to use and they're fast. If you're a not-terribly-social sort such as myself, it's great because it makes for one less person to interact with.
We may be a ways from being able to tell a ubiquitous computer to produce a cup of our favorite tea, sweetened exactly to taste. There is also something vaugely impersonal about getting lunch from a kiosk. Welcome to the future, y'all....
