As McDonald’s kiosks rolled out many critics and employees worried that it would lead to a wave of job cuts. But in reality, it did the opposite…
And it made the restaurant ecosystem more complicated.
The Expansion Of McDonald’s Kiosks
When it comes to the fast food industry, self-service kiosks are unavoidable, and McDonald’s is leading the way for their growth.
Recently, McDonald’s announced that it would be introducing new kiosks that accept cash and change. This reveal once again sparked conversations about the McDonald’s kiosks potentially being used to replace employees.
But the truth is that Kiosks have not eliminated labor for employees…
IT’S ONLY INCREASED THEIR WORKLOAD.
Any cashiers displaced by the introduction of kiosks in a fast food restaurant…
Rather than being fired altogether, have been given new roles.
These new positions involve increasing the efficiency of other restaurant functions…
Like packaging delivery and mobile orders…
Or helping customers navigate the new kiosks in a new role called “guest experience lead.”
But what is good for business is not always good for the cooking staff. With the introduction of kiosks in McDonald’s, customers have been ordering more food…
And kitchen staff has needed more help catching up.
Kiosks provide almost guaranteed upsell opportunities…
Pushing people to order more than they would initially…
And overwhelming staff.
Other Innovations
Paired with other innovations in the fast-food industry, like mobile ordering and delivery…
HAVE TURNED THESE RESTAURANTS INTO EVEN MORE COMPLICATED ENVIRONMENTS.
And it’s not just Maccies that’s experimented with new tech, earlier this year Taco Bell introduced AI to help monitor staff.
Ultimately, it is not innovations in fast-food technology, like McDonald’s kiosks that have (thus far) caused job losses. Similarly to self-checkouts in grocery stores, they’ve created more work because you need to have employees monitor the technology.
Not to mention, this sector keeps growing. According to recent data, employment numbers are 3% above pre-pandemic levels.
In the end, what might be an efficient technology for the customer…
Might be keeping the kitchen staff busy in an increasingly chaotic environment.
Be Great,
GCTV Staff
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