Fast-Food CEO Invests In Machines Because Regulation Makes Them Cheaper Than Employees

Fast-Food CEO Invests In Machines Because Regulation Makes Them Cheaper Than Employees

The CEO of Carl's Jr., Andy Puzder, has been inspired by the 100-percent automated restaurant, Eatsa, as he looks for ways to deal with rising minimum wages.

 "With government driving up the cost of labor, it's driving down the number of jobs," he says. 

"You're going to see automation not just in airports and grocery stores, but in restaurants." 

Puzder doesn't believe in [the progressive idea of] raising the minimum wage. 

"Does it really help if Sally makes $3 more an hour if Suzie has no job?

 If you're making labor more expensive, and automation less expensive -- this is not rocket science," says Puzder. 

What comes as a challenge is automating employee tasks.

 This is where he draws the line and doesn't think that it's likely any machine could perform such work. 

But for more rote tasks like grilling a burger or taking an order, technology may be even more precise than human employees. 

"They're always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, there's never a slip-and-fall, or an age, sex, or race discrimination case," says Puzder in regard to replacing employees with machines.

 Eatsa, the mostly automated healthy, fast food bowl shop based in San Francisco, has inspired the CEO of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s to rethink the traditional workforce—by replacing all humans with robots.

  "You pay with a credit or debit card, your order pops up, and you never see a person."

 "With government driving up the cost of labor, it's driving down the number of jobs," he says, predicting the automation trend will likely extend beyond the restaurant industry.  "You're going to see automation not just in airports and grocery stores, but in restaurants."

"Millennials like not seeing people," said the CEO. "I've been inside restaurants where we've installed ordering kiosks ... and I've actually seen young people waiting in line to use the kiosk where there's a person standing behind the counter, waiting on nobody." 

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If that is true then the Millennials are shooting them selves in the foot.

They live at home until in their 30's because they can't get a job.

 Where as the baby boomers were out of the house at 18.

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The technology is insane now.

We can drive fuel cell cars right now that emit pure drinkable water.

There are vehicles that drive themselves around on our roads this very moment.

So it won't be long before your job is engineered to run by AI and robots.

Believe me the incentive is there big time.

Workers compensation is way over priced and the overhead of unemployment along with liability and health insurance.

Less paper work with AI and robots.

More control over operations with precision and reliability.

Thank God we in the service industry are safe for the moment.

Cleaning houses, maintenance on buildings and homes, doing yard work, washing windows, and cleaning pools will be human performed for the time being.  

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