Who wants a byte of apple pi?
A social media user has gone viral sharing a peek inside the first-ever robotic McDonald’s.
The restaurant — outside Fort Worth, Texas — features an “order ahead lane,” where diners receive their food via a conveyor belt; kiosks to place orders to go; and a pick-up shelf for meals.
“The technology in this restaurant not only allows us to serve our customers in new, innovative ways, it gives our restaurant team the ability to concentrate more on order speed and accuracy, which makes the experience more enjoyable for everyone,” Keith Vanecek, the franchisee operating the test restaurant, explained in a statement this month.
The 29-second clip posted last week by TikTok user @foodiemunster shows an empty restaurant with no seating. A machine pushes orders to customers at the drive-thru.
In its statement, McDonald’s noted the restaurant is “considerably smaller” than its traditional stores because it’s geared to people dining at home or on the go.
There is a room for couriers to retrieve orders; “several” parking spaces dedicated to curbside pick-up; and designated parking spaces for delivery drivers.
The foodie’s fast footage — which is serving 1.3 million views, and counting — is drawing heated reaction from McFans.
“If they forget an item, who you supposed to tell, the robot?” one TikToker gulped. “It defeats the purpose of using the drive thru if you have to go inside for it.”
“No thanks. I love the people that work there. I want to hear voices and see faces. I want to see smiles at both windows!!!!” another grimaced.
But others are lovin’ it.
“Finally, my order will be quick and accurate,” one user toasted.
“Awesome. No more attitude at the counter,” another ribbed.
And everyone seems to agree, robots or not, the ice-cream machine will still be fried.
McDonald’s emphasized the restaurant is in the “test and learn” phase, and it’s toying with the concept as part of its “Accelerating the Arches” plan to deliver across five areas: “purpose, mission, values, growth pillars and our foundation of running great restaurants.”
The cheeseburger conglomerate has been making many headlines recently, with a woman claiming she decorated her Christmas tree with old Happy Meal toys; a drunk woman insisting she accidentally ordered 160 chicken nuggets celebrating a World Cup win; and a woman giving birth inside an Atlanta-area McDonald’s, nicknaming her baby “Little Nugget.”
Hopefully the robots are trained in labor and delivery.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
