Self-Service Kiosks Coming

McDonald's, Subway, Jack in the Box, Burger King, Taco Bell and Carl's Jr., are all toying with the idea of robotic automation. Here's a photo from a fly on the wall at Gizmodo. Jack in the Box restaurants in San Diego are testing self-service kiosks, and twelve Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf shops in Los Angeles are next to try. Now if we can somehow get the food to cook itself, or have customers cook it...

One California writer and investor, Davis Freeborg observes, "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." Investors seem to think so too because Jack in the Box's share prices are on an impressive upward trek.

For more detail, read:

• Jack in the Box Orders Up Experimental Self-Serve Kiosks [San Diego Business Journal]
• Self-service coming to fast food [Dallas Morning News]