[sydneyliu]

I could see a future where there is an automated restaurant or cafe. In those cases, if optimized a bit more, you could have cheaper/better long term returns and also scale to locations without changing the experience. Many chains seem to have a manual to keep the experience constant. Robots won't have that issue.

There are obvious tradeoffs, but I could see it happen

[davnicwil]

I think the cheaper/better proposition you mentioned here is the key thing, buy why would we keep the cafe/restaurant 'format' to deliver this?

Assuming the machines are too expensive at first for an 'everyone buys their own' model to scale at all, seems a better way would be to do away with the (massive) cost of keeping premises in prime locations, and still hiring at least some staff to take care of things like security and cleaning, and switch to a 'machine makes food in small cheap warehouse, food is delivered to people's homes, or very small outlet points in cities' model.

In fact it makes me wonder why this model isn't more widespread already (there are takeout restaurants, of course, but they're all still in relatively expensive locations that you can always walk into). This would work fine with people cooking the food, obviously, but somehow it seems a bit odd. Maybe the cooking being automated is enough of a shift from tradition to make another big change like this seem more natural?

[giarc]

I read your comment and immediately thought of the Asian market. I've never been to Asia but when friends post pictures they always include vending machines, robot restaurants, food on conveyor belts etc. I could see these being popular in Asia.

[prawn]

Noodle-slicing robots already exist in China:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukNkCnNJuR8