Thinking some more about that McDonalds kiosk thing and labour, the more I realize that wages are a huge red herring. it's about division of labour
Posted by
Reagen
Jun 22 '17, 15:58
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These kiosks are also going part and parcel with increased customization and a different level of service. They're including the new custom burger menus and easy customization of everything (which always existed but was like a secret thing almost). That feels like a nightmare to go through with a clerk, with the amount of options possible. Yes, Subway, yes, Harvey's, yes Five Guys, but those are much simpler menus (a Subway has effectively like 10 items, Five Guys maybe 6 or 7, where McDonalds has about 50) and have far fewer options. It would also take a fairly huge revamp to how a McDonalds is constructed in order to work, whereas Subway is already set up that way just as a matter of fact. The kiosks can go into existing McDonalds in a pretty non disruptive way.
Meanwhile, automization of the actual custom burgers would be a nightmare to do, and it's being sold as a full step up in quality, complete with table service (hence the more jobs). It's way more than just "replacing cashiers with cheaper options", it's a full revamp of their market strategy.
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