We’ve seen workers replaced with self ordering screens. Companies are working on more and more automation to avoid paying workers in low skill positions more than the job is worth. Here’s a new one
A fast-food franchisee says she’s turning to automated drive-thrus to solve her labor shortage, rather than offering a $15 hourly wage to attract new staff.
Shana Gonzales, a Checkers franchisee who owns four restaurants in the Atlanta area, told The New York Times that she wanted to hire more workers, but that it wouldn’t be profitable. She said raising wages to $14 or $15 would allow her to fully staff her restaurants – but that she’d have to raise menu prices, which could deter customers.
Instead, she’s turning to automated technology, such as voice-recognition drive-thrus, to keep business booming, she said.
The US is suffering from a severe shortage of workers, and restaurants have been especially hard hit. The US Chamber of Commerce has called the shortage a “national economic emergency” and warned it could hold back the recovery from the pandemic.
A lot of low wage/low skill workers would rather stay on unemployment than get a job. We’re seeing them go back to work in the GOP states that have done away with paying out extra money from the COVID relief packages. The root cause, really, is demanding that they be paid too much. Overpay for the position, charge more for the menu, fewer customers, fewer profits, go out of business.
She turned to automation. In December, she started using technology from Valyant AI, a startup that makes voice-recognition systems for restaurants, to take orders at one of her drive-thru lanes. The technology takes orders, including noting modifications and suggesting add-ons, and feeds this directly to the kitchen and cashier.
Gonzales is planning to roll out Valyant’s technology at her three other restaurants, she said.
“We’ll look back and say why didn’t we do this sooner,” she told The Times.
And once again the Fight for $15 crowd is agitating to reduce the amount of jobs.
Let’s tell the truth here: it isn’t any increase in the minimum wage driving this, though such an increase might accelerate the issue. Rather, it’s that machines don’t call out sick, machines don’t demand vacation days, machines don’t take bathroom breaks, and machines don’t demand to be called by the sex they claim to be rather than the sex they really are.
Machines don’t file ‘hostile workplace environment’ lawsuits, machines don’t sexually harass other machines, machines aren’t social justice warriors looking for a payout and trying to destroy someone else’s business.
It’s becoming more obvious all the time: you had better learn a skill a machine can’t be programmed to do, or you are going to starve to death.
You might consider that many labor contracts are indexed to the minimum wage, thus a massive increase in labor cost with a rise in minimum wage.
Dana’s on target. Plus my friends in the business say $15 isn’t enough when the demofascists are paying more than that to not work.
Biden and his Nazi friends have done what they started out to do, destroy small business and make their millionaire friends billionaires. Way ta go Joey!
Don’t forget that he is working on making us oil dependent when under Trump we were energy surplus. Then China has resumed its prior position of our lord and master. No border. Law abiding people are now the bad guy. List is long.
Our domestic oil production under Biden is higher than under Trump
Our imports have also gone up as the B biden economy is now doing so much better than under Trump with GDP hitting 6%
John,
Don’t lie if you address me.
Hairy somehow thinks that an increase in imports is a good thing. It isn’t.
However, according to the facts, the trade deficit is growing under Biden.
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/balance-of-trade
Once again, we see Hairy’s war on facts. He hates them.
Then again, all the left has is hate.
Oil Production:
https://www.macrotrends.net/2562/us-crude-oil-production-historical-chart
GDP:
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/gdp
Once again, Hairy feels the need to lie because of the hate he has for Trump.
After all, all the left has is hate.
Looks like those fast food workers will have to learn how to code.