Would you like some microchips with that burger?
McDonald's Europe strikes another blow against human interaction by
installing 7,000 touch-screen computers to take your order and money.
"Welcome to
McDonald's
. My name is HAL 9000. May I take your order?"
McDonalds recently went on a hiring binge in the U.S., adding 62,000 employees
to its roster. The hiring picture doesn't look quite so rosy for
Europe, where the fast food chain is drafting 7,000 touch-screen kiosks
to handle cashiering duties.
The move is designed to boost efficiency and make ordering more convenient for customers. In an interview with the Financial Times,
McDonald's Europe President Steve Easterbrook notes that the new system
will also open up a goldmine of data. McDonald's could potentially
track every Big Mac, McNugget, and large shake you order. A calorie account tally at the end of the year could be a real shocker.
The touch screens will only accept debit or credit cards, adding to
the slow death knell of cash and coins. This all goes along with an
overall revamp of McDonald's restaurants worldwide aimed at projecting a
modern image
as opposed to the old-fashioned golden arches with a slightly creepy
(to my taste anyway) clown guy hanging around the french fries.
This puts McDonald's one step closer to opening up its first Alphaville location. At least our new computer overlords will be nice enough to serve us a Filet-o-Fish. Maybe they'll even throw in an iPad with the Happy Meal one of these days.
Source:www.cnet.com
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