The fast-food chain opened its first-ever, mostly robot-powered restaurant in Texas last month as part of a test.
A new concept at McDonald’s. 1is December, the American brand opened an almost 100% automated experimental restaurant. Located near Fort Worth, Texas, it’s designed for on-the-go customers, which is why it’s smaller than a typical McDonald’s. Inside, they can place their take-out orders and then pick them up. A room is also dedicated to orders to be delivered so that the couriers can pick them up. “quickly and easily”. The exterior includes several parking spaces for customers and delivery drivers.
It is also outside that there is a “advance order channel”. Different from the drive, it allows customers by car to place their orders on the McDonald’s application, before their arrival, and then collect it via a treadmill.
A criticized project
As a video shared on Twitter shows, customers do not see any employees in this experimental fast food restaurant. However, the restaurant is not fully automated, as a spokesperson for the brand told Guardian. According to him, it employs almost as many people as a typical McDonald’s. The fast-food chain further claims that its technology is a way to improve the experience of employees and customers, with the former preparing orders when the latter are near the restaurant. It would also allow employees to focus more on speed and accuracy.
If for McDonald’s, this test is beneficial for customers and employees, this project aroused the anger of activists asking the brand to better pay its workforce for months. They earn $7.25 an hour in Texas, or 10 cents less than the federal minimum wage. In addition, the salary grid has not seen any increase for almost ten years. The chain has thus been criticized for its restaurant concept which is expensive while the employees do not have a decent salary.
