McDonald's invented a burger ATM that dispenses Big Macs

Thats most jobs in the USA gone

a reply to: crazyewok

originally posted by: Ksihkehe

originally posted by: Caver78
To be clear, cause I sort of wasn't. By saying you can't roll back time I mean, once all the ingredients are assembled into a sandwich the clock on bacterial growth starts.

No, the clock on pathogen growth is going at any time food is between 41 and 135 degrees assuming the food is capable of supporting pathogen growth. It's even going a bit in the safe temperature zones. Assembly of the burger doesn't matter for pathogen growth.

Also, the statement that they had 15 minutes to meet food safety is false. McDonald's has always assembled burgers to order. Health codes vary but a time control method without temperature regulation can allow for up to 2 or more hours based on FDA guidance.

I was going by our County's dept of health regulations.
They are apparently stricter.

Assembly of the burger does matter since you are adding condiments, cheese, lettuce ect. All vectors for food borne pathogens. Just because you cooked the meat to temp doesn't rule out other vectors up to and including your fast food worker not washing their hands.

While most burgers and other foods are MTO, during meal rush times this isn't always true and those sandwiches are time coded to be pitched out if they exceed generally 10-15 minutes.

A proper restaurant observes different protocols since they are a different business model.
Altho hopefully NOT the food handling criteria. Each state and county has different rules for food business's across the US as well. Some are inspected annually and others way more often.

Buzzy!

You answered your own question (A simple math question)!!

You go to the McATM, order a gourmet burger and fries, swipe your card, then add "Pay my bill" as another transaction. Bill paid and a burger!!

The only thing the d@mn thing won't do is give you a roll of quarters for some McNuggets!!



(I was being sarcastic btw. The EOTW never looked so good...)

originally posted by: svetlana84
I the Netherlands that concept exsists since decades.

The company is called FEBO with the slogan: de lekkerste (the yummiest).

Basically a fast food joint like McDo, but instead of a counter they have heated boxes on the front. Like a big vending machine. As a customer you drop in coins, type in the number of the box / item you want, the machine opens the box et voilà.

So no more need for cashiers, no more nasty interactions with rowdy/drunk/stoned customers. Quite cost effective for the company. Lots of jobs lost on the other hand.

And for the stoned teenager I was back in the days a great experience to get fried noodles on the munchies :-)

Nowadays i tend to keep clear of greasy fast food alltogether.

In the 60's, we called that the "Automat" .
Big in Boston, New York and Chicago.

Also, some might remember that Wendy's starting investing in this automation, when faced with having to pay their employees over $10 per hour around 2 years ago. Wonder where they stand now?

A lot of food snobs on here.
Fast food serves a purpose.
If you don't like it, don't eat it.

Do you really need the clerk at your local burger shop?

Most people are sufficiently computer literate to point to a picture of the burger they want and select their own condiments

And here is the new hamburger cook. Robot hamburger maker

So if your future is centered around working at a fast food restaurant, I'd major in robots.

I see fast food restaurants of the future with very few employees

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Had to reply, might as well be this post.
Thank you, OP, Buz if you will, for bringing up the very, very important topic of automation.
(even though in this instance it's not completely automomated, however, some is - user interface.)

I'd like to know your thoughts on taxing an "automotron" as would a Human doing the same thing;
I.E. - FICA, SS, WC, State, Fed. income, etc...?

Well, I hope you consider my reply.
And again, thank you.

originally posted by: Caver78
a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Very cool in theory, but ... and this is a big one, keeping the food fresh and not dispensing burgers that are a petrie dish of different types of food poisoning?

A Big Mac has a "shelf life" of about 15 min in a regular MacDonalds store. After 15 min they MUST be tossed to remain in compliance with food service safety standards.

Everyone will be screaming about robots and automation taking away jobs, but Food Safety is the real issue. You can't roll back time, which is why "some" automation will creep in, but only to a degree. You will ALWAYS need a live person in food prep.

Other than that, I'd LOVE to have one of these vending machines at work!!!

If they could put the meat portion in a heater at 160 or something, it'd stop the growth mostly. Some restaurants do that. It can stay good a long time. But it has to be good to begin with. But it'd have to assemble the burger, so.... I get what you're saying. Is there a way they could heat the burger without ruining it while at the same time keeping bacterial growth to a minimum? Somehow I doubt it, but it may be possible. Frankenfood!

EDIT: Keeping it hot (above 125f) can reduce growth too. Wanted to mention. Maybe this is hte "secret" technique to reduce spoilage.

Also I wonder if they somehow are emulating what happens wiht canned food? Is that possible in a vending machine?

originally posted by: Wildbob77
Do you really need the clerk at your local burger shop?

Most people are sufficiently computer literate to point to a picture of the burger they want and select their own condiments

And here is the new hamburger cook. Robot hamburger maker

So if your future is centered around working at a fast food restaurant, I'd major in robots.

I see fast food restaurants of the future with very few employees

Depends if the robot can understand a simple request like "no mayonnaise on my veggie burger please"

Currently the clerk can, but that strange touch screen computer thingy can't.

originally posted by: cleverhans
Your kids are starving. Carl's Jr. believes no child should go hungry. You are an unfit mother. Your children will be placed in the custody of Carl's Jr.

Quite.
Glad somebody got the reference!

originally posted by: LuXTeN
a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Im not surprised..

at all.

Why are you so surprised?

not surprised.

disgusted.
Idiocracy is us.

originally posted by: ISeeTheFnords
a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Had to reply, might as well be this post.
Thank you, OP, Buz if you will, for bringing up the very, very important topic of automation.
(even though in this instance it's not completely automomated, however, some is - user interface.)

I'd like to know your thoughts on taxing an "automotron" as would a Human doing the same thing;
I.E. - FICA, SS, WC, State, Fed. income, etc...?

Well, I hope you consider my reply.
And again, thank you.

Never occurred to me that the machine would be taxed like a human laborer.
Good point. Besides the fact that one fewer person is needed, I think the division of humans and isolation of living beings being served by robots is a big slippery slope to mass insanity.

While convenience and gadgetry is cool, a world where there is no human face-to-face, skin-to-skin, voice-to-ear contact is artifical, and will end in even more erosion of society's ability to function as a unit.

We need human interaction. Another robotic solution in the works now is robot caregivers for the elderly in treatment facilities. So, there go the jobs for the CNAs, as well as the burger flippers, cashiers, sonic car hops, waiters, etc.

Where are all of the displaced low-skill, desperate for work people going to go then? Go home a begin exploring their creativity?

That would be IDEAL, if everyone had an annual 'stipend' just for being alive in the country. A guaranteed cash flow that would be circulated through whatever machines or tills - thus propping up the GDP, but leaving people otherwise without responsibilities or the opportunity to grow into productive citizens who know how to interact with others.