This will only accelerate the trend to automating away these jobs. E.g., serve your own soda -- it is cheaper than having a human make the drink for you. When humans are more expensive than machines, they are replaced.
Yes, minimum-wage increases are likely to be supported by the robotics lobby, as it makes a robot more competitive. Increased adoption of fast-food robots would then drive down the costs of restaurant mechanization.
Seems to me that robot stuff is getting cheaper faster than wages are going up. If a robot can do the job, then another $6 an hour probably isn’t all that different. Might as well pay people a living wage for hard work in the meantime.
You can't have it both ways. "in the meantime" there will also be cases where $6 an hour would have made the difference between having a job and not having one.
I seriously think this will not happen. People like to interact with people when they are conducting transactions. A classic example is the bank teller. For all intensive purposes, you average ATM machine can handle just about 95% of your bank needs. You don't see any less tellers then you did before. Remember how people revolted when banks tried to charge you a fee if you went to see a teller instead of using an ATM machine?
I think what will happen is the complete opposite, fast food chains will start hiring more capable workers because that will be the big differentiator. Why would I go to a McDonalds, or Wendy's or Burger King? I'll go to which ever one has the polite and competent people taking my order.
Sure they will all jump on the automation bandwagon, but when everyone is doing it, some one is going to go back to "personalized" service as a differentiator.
Overall I am glad this is happening - their should be no reason why a person who works 40 hours a week in the wealthiest country ever known to be below the poverty line. Just doesn't make sense. Both economically, and from a human rights perspective.
Frankly, I want a good, cheap burger, and if the way to obtaining that is to automate jobs, bring it on.
I remember when if you wanted a cheap burger, you went to Micky D's and if you wanted a bit more quality you could shell out a buck or two more somewhere else like Burger King.
But the field has changed and now with a greater number of Five Guys and In-and-Outs, it seems like everyone wants to jump on the quality end of the value triangle when it comes to pumping out burgers, and you're left with very little variety in pricing.
Give me a place where I can shave a couple bucks off my combo again at the expense of not having some teenager or college student screw up my order and you'll have a customer.
I think you're exaggerating the scope of the changes in the fast food industry. There are very few Five Guys and In-n-Out locations compared to the big fast food chains, whose prices remain very competitive, and whose food remains pretty crappy. Don't worry; you can still buy really cheap, unhealthy food all over the nation.
Perhaps it's localized, or I am just exaggerating. But it's not uncommon for a meal at McDonalds in Arizona to be comparable to one at In-n-Out. Other local fast food chains also now mimic the containers or lack thereof of the aforementioned burger joints.
