For many people, enjoying friendly customer service is all part of the fun of heading out for fast food, but a new, fully-automated branch of McDonald's is set to put this requirement to the test. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, customers can visit this futuristic-looking branch without having to interact with any humans at all.
Although the food is made by human employees in the kitchen, this area is hidden from view, with meals delivered via an automated delivery system. The restaurant, which only caters to takeaway and drive-thru orders, has left some patrons feeling uneasy, but others have praised the 'quick and easy' concept.
Food vlogger Foodie Munster - who goes by the username @foodiemunster - recently took to TikTok to share about their recent visit to the rather surreal branch.
In the video, which has been liked more than 67.9k times and counting, Foodie Munster declared: "People of TikTok. The way we McDonald's may be changing forever. Check this out."
The clip shows a completely empty restaurant containing only an automated ordering service, as well as a service hatch operated by a machine with a conveyer belt. Not one single employee can be seen.
Opening up further about his trip on Instagram, Foodie Munster, who describes the test concept as being 'like no other McDonald's you've been to before', concluded: 'I gotta [sic] say, it worked pretty well'.
Not everyone is too sure about the idea though, fearing for the future of staff employment as well as further alienation for those who enjoy interacting with others while out and about.
One person commented: "It's cool but I don't think I'm a fan. I rely on the indoor playgrounds haha. Also, we already have too many automated things happening and I feel like we don’t need more stuff where you don't interact with actual people. I don't know."
Another wrote: "This will put so many people out of work, I'm not for it."
Taking a more positive view, a third person approved: "I live just a few minutes from here. it's pretty dang neat. There are still employees and it still has a drive-through. Just a special mobile order lane with the conveyer belt shown."
In a press release, McDonald's described the new concept as a 'fast and seamless experience for both customers and crew.'
The chain says: "There's never been a McDonald's restaurant quite like this before. We're always innovating to improve our customer experience, no matter how they want to order or receive their food."
Max Carmona, Senior Director of Global Design and Restaurant Development at McDonald's, stated: "At McDonald’s, we've been setting the standard for Drive-Thrus for more than 45 years. As our customers' needs continue to change, we are committed to finding new ways to serve them faster and easier than ever before."
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