Wendy's to install robotic kiosks across 6,000 restaurants

originally posted by: xuenchen
Looks like the ff restaurant chain Wendy's is going full steam ahead on plans to install victimless robots to fight off the rising minimum wage laws.

Lots of controversy with the minimum wage fights all over the place.

Companies will fight these threats even in areas that can actually support a $15/hour wage.

Some will go with automation, some will just cut workers off with part time and save on benefits.

Wendy's to install robotic kiosks across 6,000 restaurants thanks to the 'fight for $15'

Wendy's said that self-service ordering kiosks will be made available across its 6,000-plus restaurants in the second half of the year as minimum wage hikes and a tight labor market push up wages.

It will be up to franchisees whether to deploy the labor-saving technology, but Wendy’s President Todd Penegor did note that some franchise locations have been raising prices to offset wage hikes.

McDonald’s (MCD) has been testing self-service kiosks. But Wendy’s, which has been vocal about embracing labor-saving technology, is launching the biggest potential expansion.

$0 wage increase --

the Free Market Law

They are going to kiosks in all states, in all corporate chains, because it is cheaper than 7.25$ an hour. NOT because they can't afford 15$.

It's just their propaganda filled attempt to block the pushback from the public.

In the next couple decades automation is going to decimate the service industry. When automation killed American manufacturing, we created the service industry. Now we will have no where to go. Period there will not be enough jobs to go around, even for those with a good work ethic.

You can't have an economy, without a consumer class, so we get to rethink our economic system completely.

originally posted by: BatheInTheFountain

originally posted by: Discotech
a reply to: BatheInTheFountain

All this really highlights is how utterly flawed and close to collapse the capitalistic world we live in is.

The quicker we move away from capitalism and money and greed the quicker we can advance our species into more than just consuming, barbaric beings.

Star Trek had the most ideal vision of our future

Wow.

Liberals

You use the hand the Government to hike up wages, and CAPITALISTS react by automating, and you claim the "death of Capitalism", because business owners have no other choice.

America 2016

Automation is cheaper than humans, no matter what your paying them. Robots don't get sick, steal or ask for raises. They don't need healthcare or retirement.

The sevice industry is going full automation reguardless, and we have no industry set to replace it.

I say Wendy's keep that money
and buy better beef with it.

Then we can talk about robots.
Happy cows make better burgers.
Happy better paid workers make
better burgers too.

I think it was already in the works and not to fight the minimum wage increase. Lot's of stores have self checkout now. They had it before any minimum wage increase controversy.

a reply to: pl3bscheese

By some definitions, I'm also in the millennial classification. I was never much on the touchy-feely interconnected world bandwagon, but many I grew up with were. Around the age of 35, most of them changed to run a bit more conservative and more logical, less progressive and less emotional. I suspect the same will continue to happen with the younger folks. Give them time to get out of college and have their own families to provide for and they, too, will become far more centered on their personal here and now.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
This is the beginning of the end.

Not for jobs and automation.

But for everyone.

Soon, protests will start, a hatred towards profit has already been in play.

Lenin would be so proud.

Yes, it's beginning of the end... BUT! Don't worry, TPTB will cause some major catastrophy like WW3 (most likely) or some new virus (they didn't have much luck with that lately) before majority of popultion realise inevitable paradigm shift and everything will be just fine! Shepard always knows what's best for sheeple!

originally posted by: UnderKingsPeak
I say Wendy's keep that money
and buy better beef with it.

Then we can talk about robots.
Happy cows make better burgers.
Happy better paid workers make
better burgers too.

It's irrelevant. Robots cheaper now, or soon will be. Within 50 years I bet 70+% of jobs are gone.

Regarding this topic, I strongly urge everybody to watch these great documentaries:

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It doesn't work for some reason... Ayway:

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originally posted by: JoshuaCox

In the next couple decades automation is going to decimate the service industry. When automation killed American manufacturing, we created the service industry. Now we will have no where to go. Period there will not be enough jobs to go around, even for those with a good work ethic.

Have you noticed that work ethic is valued less and less in today's world? Companies want to hire people who are predictable and easily manipulated, so they focus more on personality characteristics and paper credentials (indoctrination) than they do real world experience and work ethic.

Basically, they want people who will kiss their boss's ass, sing praises to the company all day long, and legitimize the cult-ure.

Hard work? Simply showing up on time?

Who cares.

a reply to: NthOther

I know somebody who got an attendance award for last quarter.

He was late only 3 times.

Top of the list in his dept.

I've seen the McDonalds kiosks and it's not a big deal.

I equate it to bank machines and bank tellers.

originally posted by: xuenchen
a reply to: NthOther

I know somebody who got an attendance award for last quarter.

He was late only 3 times.

Top of the list in his dept.

Machines always show up on time, and when they're down for sickness (they break), they're down for hours rather than a full day, and their recovery is instantaneously complete rather than slowly getting back to 100% over a matter of days. They don't spread sicknesses to their coworkers either.

Humans will never be able to compete. Maybe instead we decentralize the whole thing, open the concept of kiosks to investors, and let the low wage earners own a particular kiosk or other group of machines to earn their income. Robots don't (yet) have sentience and souls so it's not slavery.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

This is only in certain states, as others have laws in place prohibiting employers in private sector without government contracts from utilizing the employees bio metric data for these purposes. However, my state Florida is not one of them, and I have also seen those same scanners at different food joints too.

originally posted by: Discotech
a reply to: BatheInTheFountain
Star Trek had the most ideal vision of our future

Indeed it did, except where the Borg were concerned. Its like zombies became robotic and advanced, they just keep spreading!

a reply to: UnderKingsPeak

I find their burgers to taste better than McD's or BK personally. Even steak n shake.

a reply to: xuenchen

And so it begins. The rise of the machines. How many millions and tens of millions will 've out out of work because of robots. I would like to see laws against using robots for what humans do.

a reply to: Joecanada11

Well, I am more likely to actually stop boycotting the Taco Bell thats only a few blocks from if the incompetent staff were traded for these kiosks. Three times last year in one month, same location, same staff could not read "Extra lettuce" , which I paid for, and instead No lettuce at all. IT SAID EXTRA LETTUCE ON THE TICKET!! THREE TIMES!!!!!

I lost it over the phone when I got home and saw it the first time. The second time I checked at the window and it was the same thing, so they got it on the spot. Third time I went inside and made one helluva show. Threatened to call the cops, I said "good, cuz yall the ones robbing me!" . They gave me my food and money, and have not been back since.

#ing assholes. These are the kind of people that deserve $15 an hour???? really??? More and more I am finding this generation of labor pool to be equally #ty. The McDonalds next to them told me to pull up and wait for my fries once. I sat their for fifteen mins next to another lady who was waiting longer. We talked, realized they werent coming out. When we got it, holy moly man the place was a disaster, a lady was yelling about a refund because someone touched food with their hands, lines were crazy. Me and the lady outside are now in the mix, wondering where our food is?? Heard one of them say they ran out of fries and had to wait for some from another location or something. Well I told them this: "oh hell naw McDonalds cannot run out of fries, do you not know we will burn this mother #er down!?"

Yea thats right, I was ready to get ignorant over some fries man. Finally made it out of there with fries, but jeez that sucked man. $15 an hour for that, psshh give me a break.

I wonder what people will do when there are no jobs because the machines have taken them all. They'll just be "surplus population" with no contribution to society. All part of the master plan.

The future is very bleak and dark.

a reply to: Ohanka

Well, negative birth rates plus :

maintain human population of Earth under 500,000,000

probably alludes to the establishment is ready to accommodate an impending demographic change as was stated by another poster earlier. We won't need jobs with such a small global population because we will have the resources and technology to sustain ourselves. What can you do to earn a seat at the 500,000,000 club??? GOLD, lots and lots of GOLD.

originally posted by: amazing
I think it was already in the works and not to fight the minimum wage increase. Lot's of stores have self checkout now. They had it before any minimum wage increase controversy.

They had to get rid of those self checkouts in my town. People refused to use them. Probably because the bloody thing only worked when it wants to. They had to have staff just to fix the problems those things caused. I think it was more than the actual checkout people.

They were also robbed a lot. Not sure how

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: roadgravel
a reply to: MysticPearl

I've spent my working life in the tech industry.

Talk to people who work in service of equipment. it's going lower just like many other jobs. These people won't be designing software. they will be changing boards, etc. Not going to be a high end tech job.

It seems to me that being a kiosk technician wouldn't be much different than the person at Best Buy today who swaps out one graphics card for another for a customer. Just slide circuit boards into and out of sockets that are color/shape coded so that they're idiot proof. Then maybe run some auto piloted software that calibrates things.

That's damn near minimum wage in my opinion. With self driving cars coming you won't even need driving or navigation skills to get to the job site.

You're right, fixing such a kiosk isn't much more complicated than fixing a slot machine (coin operated gambling machine). Turn up, run an inbuilt diagnostic check, it will resolve any error or highlight the hardware issue. If it's hardware, replace as required (if replaceable), re-run diagnostics to confirm fix and leave.

A lot of such work is becoming more and more run of the mill and I think that was always inevitable. The mystique and smoke and mirrors around all things will continue to die away and the mega high wages for relatively straightforward work will be a thing of the distant past before too long.