Why Restaurants Might Become The First Major Industry To Embrace Full Workplace Automation

Restaurants, particularly those in the quick service segment, are actively experimenting with automation. This probably isn't news, but analysts believe this may become the first major industry to replace a significant number of jobs with automation. This feels different from the media and entertainment industries, where I personally believe that "Augmented Creativity" will become the norm and talented professionals will continue to use automation tools to be more productive and creative.

In the quick-service restaurant space, automation is likely to offer a more complete replacement of many jobs. Nearly all the major brands are experimenting with AI and robotic solutions. One fast food executive recently offered this tone-deaf explanation to CNN to explain why this is a priority: "Humans sometimes forget to greet people, they forget, they make mistakes, they don't hear as well ... a machine can actually have a consistent greeting and remain calm under pressure."

Perhaps the biggest factor driving this investment, though, is the reality of the job market and a dramatic shortage of workers. The fact is, interest in food industry jobs is at a historic low and many open jobs remain unfilled. With no signs of this shift reversing, it's likely many of the restaurants where customer service is a lower priority than cost savings or speed of service will be the first ones to trial automation ... and provide case studies that every other industry will be watching with interest.