Will Robots Revolutionize Customer Experiences Or Ruin The Restaurant Industry?
Stacy Sherman🎙️📘
Professional Speaker ‣ Author ‣ Advisor. Helping businesses achieve revenue growth & unbreakable loyalty (customers, employees, partners) for lasting success. Instructor @LinkedIn Learning ‣🏆Podcaster: Doing CX Right®
Imagine walking into your local Chipotle and, instead of seeing a human behind the counter, you're greeted by a sleek robotic arm expertly slicing avocados. As you watch in amazement, another machine precisely assembles your burrito bowl. Is this a scene from a sci-fi movie, or the future of fast food?
This futuristic scenario is closer to reality than you might think. Chipotle, the popular Mexican grill chain, is taking a bold step into the world of automation with two new robotic assistants. But what does this mean for your favorite burrito joint, and more importantly, for your dining experience?
Meet the New 'Employees': Autocado and Augmented Makeline
Chipotle has introduced two AI robots in its California locations, as reported by Quartz:
The Promise of Robotic Precision
But why robots? Curt Garner, Chipotle's chief customer and technology officer, believes these machines could help build "a stronger operational engine." The potential benefits are intriguing:
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The Human Touch vs. Robotic Precision
However, this robotic revolution isn't without challenges. Quartz points out that a previous Chipotle robot experiment, "Chippy," turned out to be "too cumbersome" to clean. This raises questions about the practicality of maintaining these high-tech helpers.
Moreover, there's an elephant in the room: jobs. While Chipotle hasn't explicitly stated any intention to replace human workers, the article notes that "similar to McDonald's approach to introduce more digital kiosks, Chipotle's robotic bet might lead to lost jobs."
The Bigger Picture: Robots and Customer Experience
As we stand at this technological crossroads, questions abound. Will robots enhance or diminish your Chipotle experience? Can machines replicate the human touch that has always been a part of our dining experiences? And perhaps most importantly, are you ready for your next burrito to be made by a robot?
One thing is certain: the fast food landscape is changing. As we navigate this new world of dining, finding the right balance between innovation and tradition will be key. The future of fast food is here, and it's serving up a side of technology with your tacos.
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Keynote Speaker | The Service Culture Guide
3moFast food companies have invested in technology to improve technology since the beginning of fast food. This is just another step in a long line of steps. As always, the machine will need to outperform the human for it to work. That's sometimes the case. Starbucks now processes an astounding number of orders via its app. Sometimes, the machine fails. McDonald's has backed off using AI to staff it's drive-thrus because the technology wasn't effective enough.
Director - Academics | Customer Experience (CX) | Business Excellence (Six Sigma) Consultant | Digital Delivery | Design Thinker | Prosci Change Manager
3moThere will be a premium for Great Human Contact Experience!! The industry might get segmented as : 1) The Machines driven 2) The Human(aided my machines) driven. Those craving for Human Connection will accommodate the imperfections n also will likely be happy to pay a premium. After all, human touch to the F&B experience is often priceless !! 🤝 (On Jobs loss, it's a certainty, as Shareholder return > responsibility towards fellow humans)
The potential for automation in fast food is clear—robots like Autocado can significantly improve speed and consistency. But technology should complement the human element, not replace it. While robots handle repetitive tasks, human staff are crucial for personalized service and dealing with emotional or complex customer interactions. A hybrid approach, where robots boost efficiency and humans focus on adding value, sounds like the best approach.
Autocado!! 🤣