Jack In The Box: Robots To Create Shareholder Value?

Jack in the Box (JBX) is reporting that they’ve started a new program on a very limited basis, where they refuse to pay their new employees overtime, give them any breaks, make them work 24/7, and they are paying them less then a dollar an hour to take orders from customers. No, they haven’t taken a page out of Walmart’s playbook, instead they’ve introduced fast food kiosks into three of their restaurants.

Basically, when customers show up they now interact with a kiosk instead of with a human. Someone in the back gets the order through a computer and then prepares the meal for the customer. Because the kiosk deals with taking the orders you can avoid spoilage because the kiosk is more accurate and because the kiosk handles the payments you don’t have to worry about the cash register ending up short at the end of the night. In fact even if you get robbed, you don’t even have to worry about them handing over the cash. On the surface, they may not look very tough, but I’ve got it on good authority that they have one armed cousins in Nevada who can be very stingy with paying out money.

I’ve got to say that I find this idea pretty appealing. When I get fast food, it’s not for the food, it’s for the fast. I want in and out with as little chit chat as possible. If kiosk ordering allowed me to order and pay directly, it might actually convince me to go into a Jack in the Box once in a while. Even better, if I could order via the net and pick it up I would be thrilled. I wouldn’t even mind if the cost savings went directly to the shareholders instead of the customers (although it would be nice to see them upgrade to something other then mystery meat.)

With the fast food industry now using centralized drive thrus, kiosk ordering and DVD vending, it’s only a matter of time before the robots take over. Throw in a couple of roombas into the equation and we could have the machines controlling the food supply for the majority of all Americans.

Hat tip: Kiosk Marketplace

JBX 1-yr chart:

Comments

[AmesTiedeman]

Has anyone heard of Friendly Robotics?