Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

World's First Kitchen-Free, Robot-Run Fast-Food Restaurant

foodbeast.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 69 posts

Re: World's First Kitchen-Free, Robot-Run Fast-Food Restaurant

#51

Post by ippisl »

6ren wrote: post #41

Interesting, you don't think of Krispy Kreme as making robot donuts. Curious that Macdonald's, with so much careful specification of all processes, hasn't done this, at all. e.g. fry/remove/salt fries. (though their standard coffee is mostly automated). Macdonald's is so well-placed, I can only assume it isn't actually cost-effective for them. Maybe it's worth it for Momentum, for the PR? Or, by starting from scratch…

Macdonald's recently introduced touch screens as cashiers in europe. They didn't do it in the u.s. .My guess is thy didn't want the bad PR. Maybe similar motivations exist for lack of robots.

But maybe the simplest explanation is that big businesses are not very much optimized for innovation, so it took a startup.

Re: World's First Kitchen-Free, Robot-Run Fast-Food Restaurant

#52

Post by jiggy2011 »

alwaysabove wrote: post #45
bmj wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is terrible attitude, and it greatly devalues necessary work. Yes, if you are an engineer, you see stocking grocery store shelves as a technical problem to be solved, but other folks look at it as a way to make a rather meager living. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone can do white collar labor for a reasonable middle class salary. Don't get me wrong, I think some work certainly could be automated, but at…

That's not my point at all. I'm saying if someone can't do intellectual work, get them to do something that uses other skills. But let's make that something useful, rather than something we could automate away.

Then you have the problem of identifying what their skills are and also of balancing supply/demand.

Re: World's First Kitchen-Free, Robot-Run Fast-Food Restaurant

#53

Post by Evbn »

jlarocco wrote: post #44
Dove wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's 2020. Lots of teenagers don't have jobs and would like them. Someone starts a new business based on the available cheap labor. Dog poop scooping? Personal couriers? Game testing? Something we haven't thought of because the relevant industry doesn't exist yet? Economies aren't static. You can always find something useful to do.

I'd love to see enough jobs automated so that when somebody asks, "But what about the people who do those jobs now?" the answer is "Everybody in the remaining jobs drop down to 20 hours a week, the unemployed take up the other 20 hours a week, and we all enjoy more leisure time." I don't see it happening, but it would be nice. It's a little disappointing that despite immense advances in technology and production, and…

That is contingent upon minimum wage rising to match, or an Alask-style guaranteed income trust.

Re: World's First Kitchen-Free, Robot-Run Fast-Food Restaurant

#54

Post by Evbn »

ebiester wrote: post #46
jiggy2011 wrote: post #2

When I was a teenager the most popular part time jobs among my piers were either working in a supermarket or at a fast food place. Lots of supermarkets are starting to replace humans with self-checkouts and things like this will probably become standard in fast food. So how is a teenager supposed to fund his pot habit in 2020?

More importantly, what about mentally challenged people? Already today, there are many people now who cannot function on their own, the jobs for which they were qualified have dried up. How many people can we support on disability as job requirements keep rising?

Labor income is a trivial portion of the cost of care for a mentally disabled person. They could do volunteer work instead, with only the slightest change in lifestyle.

Re: World's First Kitchen-Free, Robot-Run Fast-Food Restaurant

#55

Post by Evbn »

nathan_long wrote: post #7
jiggy2011 wrote: post #2

When I was a teenager the most popular part time jobs among my piers were either working in a supermarket or at a fast food place. Lots of supermarkets are starting to replace humans with self-checkouts and things like this will probably become standard in fast food. So how is a teenager supposed to fund his pot habit in 2020?

More importantly, how will people learn basic job skills, like "show up on time" and "do what you're told" if all the traditional first jobs are automated?

Without basic jobs, "basic job" skills are irrelevant.

Plenty of jobs don't have the two rules you mention.

Re: World's First Kitchen-Free, Robot-Run Fast-Food Restaurant

#56

Post by Evbn »

crosbytho wrote: post #34
alwaysabove wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a triumph that we're automating these kind of jobs. Why are we wasting human talent on inane jobs like store checkout or junk food production? Every person in one of those jobs is a wasted mind. If we could put those minds to work on something meaningful think what we could achieve.

There's a psychological and human aspect that some deem as positive that you are overlooking. While some shun away from the human experience, it's refreshing to head to an In-N-out burger and have well-paid smiling faces take your order and serve you delicious food. Sure you could automate that kid, but while trying not to be sappy, that's another face you get to see during the day amidst a traditional day filled wit…

Walmart has greeters. In and Out can always have same.

Re: World's First Kitchen-Free, Robot-Run Fast-Food Restaurant

#57

Post by Evbn »

6ren wrote: post #41

Interesting, you don't think of Krispy Kreme as making robot donuts. Curious that Macdonald's, with so much careful specification of all processes, hasn't done this, at all. e.g. fry/remove/salt fries. (though their standard coffee is mostly automated). Macdonald's is so well-placed, I can only assume it isn't actually cost-effective for them. Maybe it's worth it for Momentum, for the PR? Or, by starting from scratch…

McDonalds has been advancing robotic preparation at minimal marginal cost for decades, and they continue to do so.

Re: World's First Kitchen-Free, Robot-Run Fast-Food Restaurant

#58

Post by ippisl »

swalsh wrote: post #37
jiggy2011 wrote: post #2

When I was a teenager the most popular part time jobs among my piers were either working in a supermarket or at a fast food place. Lots of supermarkets are starting to replace humans with self-checkouts and things like this will probably become standard in fast food. So how is a teenager supposed to fund his pot habit in 2020?

Can't you see the trend emerging today? Entrepreneurship is "cool" and every year seems to be ever more encouraged. At the same time, the internet is leveling everything. Barriers to entry are being plowed across the board. For example look at Arduino, a lot of the things people are making with it aren't exactly amazing. But consider how many posts you've seen of people with 0 experience in electronics, doing things…

Both with the simplicity of the web, and the relative simplicity of building simple apps with good tools , we didn't see a great number of teenagers making money from building web sites or mobile apps.

It would probably makes more sense to outsource building a site to someone from low-cost country that have gained experience than to a local teenager. The same sense probably operate on arduino development and 3d design by teens.

And teen entrepreneurship didn't scale for web-develpoment or mobile apps, no reason to think it would scale this time.

Re: World's First Kitchen-Free, Robot-Run Fast-Food Restaurant

#59

Post by Evbn »

ippisl wrote: post #51
6ren wrote: post #41

Interesting, you don't think of Krispy Kreme as making robot donuts. Curious that Macdonald's, with so much careful specification of all processes, hasn't done this, at all. e.g. fry/remove/salt fries. (though their standard coffee is mostly automated). Macdonald's is so well-placed, I can only assume it isn't actually cost-effective for them. Maybe it's worth it for Momentum, for the PR? Or, by starting from scratch…

Macdonald's recently introduced touch screens as cashiers in europe. They didn't do it in the u.s. .My guess is thy didn't want the bad PR. Maybe similar motivations exist for lack of robots. But maybe the simplest explanation is that big businesses are not very much optimized for innovation, so it took a startup.

Holy wow that is chauvinistic. McDonalds is an incredible innovator in efficient production of comestibles.

Re: World's First Kitchen-Free, Robot-Run Fast-Food Restaurant

#60

Post by jiggy2011 »

alwaysabove wrote: post #49
crosbytho wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a psychological and human aspect that some deem as positive that you are overlooking. While some shun away from the human experience, it's refreshing to head to an In-N-out burger and have well-paid smiling faces take your order and serve you delicious food. Sure you could automate that kid, but while trying not to be sappy, that's another face you get to see during the day amidst a traditional day filled wit…

I don't agree with this argument. When I want to socialise with people, I'll go to a bar, my friend's house, a coffee shop, etc. If I want a burger, I want to get issued with that burger ASAP, without having to deal with someone who you may consider to be a nice person, but I may consider to be a douche-bag. If that well-paid smiling person didn't have to work at the burger place, she might have something more intere…

I find that having a face to face interaction with another human being at least once a day makes you feel more human.

Sometimes I can go a few days to a week where me and my friends are all busy doing things, I buy all my stuff from the self checkout or via amazon and don't really interact with anyone.

Then when on friday night I go out to a busy party it feels like a shock.

Post reply on HN