[topher515]

What is most interesting to me about automation in the restaurant industry, is its almost complete absence in the United States.

If—as I understand it—labor costs dominate the cost structure of all restaurants, then why isn’t the average restaurant already mostly robots?

Is it really a technology issue? We haven’t been able to build a burger making robot until today? Seems unlikely.

Is it financial? The capital deployable to build a single restaurant can’t cover the initial costs of the robot? Seems like a McDonalds could spread the costs over thousands of restaurants.

So what gives?

[llm_trw]

Wages for fast food workers compared to those of the people ordering the food.

In most countries the wage spread between minimum wage and average wage is a lot lower than the one in the US. It makes no sense to automate something that your customers are happy to pay for.