Worldwide, McDonald’s has more than 39,000 restaurants.
The fast food firm registers 13.6 thousand businesses in the US.
The “happy meal” was born in 1979, in Kansas City, United States and is one of the most popular products.
Technology has arrived to help us in the most complex tasks of our lives, but some of these tools continue to be a challenge for many. This is the case of the first robotic McDonald’s, located in the United States, which has received bad reactions on social networks from consumers.
Without a doubt, McDonald’s is one of the most prominent and well-known brands in the world, so according to data from its annual report, the quick service giant recorded, in 2020, that the number of restaurants in the United States reached 13.6 thousand.
Likewise, the same report detailed that in Europe, France, including Monaco, ranked first, with almost 1,500 units; meanwhile, China had the most McDonald’s restaurants in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions.
Without a doubt, the fast food brand is one of the favorites for consumers, due to its trajectory and iconic products that it provides not only in food, but also in the experience for children and adults.
The first robotic McDonald’s
A McDonald’s consumer has gone viral by sharing a peek inside a brand’s first fully robotic store.
The restaurant, which is located on the outskirts of Fort Worth, Texas, United States, has a “pre-order lane”, where diners receive their food via a conveyor belt; kiosks for ordering to go; and a collection shelf for meals.
“This restaurant’s technology not only allows us to serve our customers in new and innovative ways, but also gives our restaurant team the ability to focus more on speed and accuracy of ordering, making the experience make it more enjoyable for everyone,” Keith Vanecek, the franchisee who operates the test restaurant, said in a statement this December.
Although the technology they implement is a new tool that the brand uses to improve the experience of its consumers, many of them do not seem to like it, as an example the TikTok user @foodiemunster who shows an empty restaurant without seats, while a machine pushes the orders to customers in the drive-thru.
In its statement for the viral video, McDonald’s noted that the restaurant is “considerably smaller” than its brick-and-mortar stores because it is designed for people who dine at home or on the go.
In the recording you can see that there is a room in the premises for the delivery people to collect the orders; “multiple” parking spaces dedicated to curbside pickup; and designated parking spaces for delivery drivers.
@foodiemunster @McDonald’s ♬ Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
The Tiktoker video already has 1.3 million views and is drawing a heated reaction from the new branch of the fast food restaurant.
“If they forget an item, who are you supposed to tell, the robot?” said the tiktoker.
He also mentioned that it defeats the purpose of using the drive thru if you have to go inside to look for it.
“No, thanks. I love the people who work there. I want to hear voices and see faces. I want to see smiles in both windows!” Said another netizen in one of the comments.
But other consumers love the idea of technology, since until now the firm had already implemented its self-checkout boxes in various stores around the world.
“Finally my order will be fast and accurate,” said one user.
“Awesome. No more attitude at the counter,” added another.
McDonald’s emphasized in its statement that the restaurant is in the “test and learn” phase, and is playing with the concept as part of its “Accelerate the Arcs” plan to meet five areas: “purpose, mission, values, pillars of growth and our foundation to run great restaurants.”
And this is how the new changes continue to amaze people, because over time the ways in which we live change for the better.
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