Home

An Automated Takeover of Fast Food

June 6, 2017

Ready for burger bots? Fast food chain Wendy’s introduces widespread use of self-ordering kiosks.

I’m not much of a fast food junkie. But if there’s ever a time when I do need a fix, then I want the experience to live up to its promise: It needs to be fast.

In the "burger wars," Wendy’s is flexing a bit of muscle on this front. The chain has been preparing to launch widespread self-service kiosks, with some already in operation. (See a discussion and photo of one of the kiosks in the article at Futurism.com.) Management reports demand has been high, from both customers and its sizeable network of franchise owners. In fact, the burger giant’s CIO David Trimm is expecting more than 1,000 of the kiosks in the chain’s restaurants this year.

Wendy's is making the kiosks in house at its 90 Degrees Lab, because it is confident that what it makes will work. The company also is getting ready to release mobile ordering and mobile payment—more technology-based services that are experiencing growing demand.

There has been a lot of chatter about potential for automation to take over repetitive types of jobs, especially as the move to increase minimum wage gains steam. These fast-food ordering kiosks might just be the real deal.

About the Author

Beth Stackpole, contributing writer | Contributing Editor, Automation World

Beth Stackpole is a veteran journalist covering the intersection of business and technology, from the early days of personal computing to the modern era of digital transformation. As a contributing editor to Automation World, Beth's coverage traverses a range of industries and technologies, including AI/machine learning, analytics, automation hardware and software, cloud, security, edge computing, and supply chain. In addition to her high-tech and business journalism work, Beth writes an array of custom editorial content and thought leadership pieces.