Recent reports of an "automated" McDonald's sparked some backlash: What will happen to the workers? It's a question they could pose directly to the employees at that franchise in Fort Worth, Texas, one of whom was confused when I told her I thought I'd found the automated location. "No, not this one," she said.
As it turns out, I actually was in the right place. McDonald's automated try-out isn't entirely eliminating human contact or human workers. There's still a drive-thru where you order and receive food from a living person. Inside ordering has been fully replaced by kiosks, but people still prepare and give you your food. The only way a customer can get an entirely non-human-contact experience is to order ahead on the restaurant's app, then pick up your food (still cooked by human beings) outside, courtesy of a conveyor belt.
