The conquest of the human race by robots marches on, and now the quaint phrase “do you want fries with that?” may be within the province of those cold, silicon-based lifeforms. Fast food giants McDonald’s, Subway, Jack in the Box, Burger King, Taco Bell and Carl’s Jr. are toying with the idea of self-service kiosks made by IBM and NCR that work just like the ubiquitous ATMs as well as those ticketing machines sprouting up at airports all over the world.
It’s starting. Three Jack in the Box restaurants in San Diego are testing the custom-made fast food ordering kiosks, and twelve Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf shops in Los Angeles will be the next to try them. Others are experimenting in small tests around the US. Hey, we don’t mind if those machines begin to chant the mantra “To Serve Man,” as long as that’s not the title of a cookbook.
Jack in the Box Orders Up Experimental Self-Serve Kiosks [San Diego Business Journal]
Self-service coming to fast food [Dallas Morning News]
