McDonald’s to shake up food ordering system in Europe-Touchscreens

[RamboLiberal]

McDonald’s is to change the way customers order its meals in Europe, partly replacing cashiers and the use of banknotes at its 7,000 fast-food restaurants in the region with touchscreen terminals and swipe cards.

“Ordering food has not changed for 30 or 40 years,” said Steve Easterbrook, president of McDonald’s Europe, in an interview with the Financial Times.

The move is part of the fast-food chain’s efforts to woo cash-strapped customers by making its restaurants more convenient and convivial. It is refurbishing stores, and introducing longer opening hours and new menus.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e28f6864-7f1e-11e0-b239-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1MTwLpInS

[athenasatanjesus]

1. YaY less employees to underpay. nt

[MadHound]

2. And why are those customers cash strapped?

Oh, yeah, because they don't have jobs. And many don't have jobs because they've been replaced with either computers, or cheaper Asian labor.

Just continuing down that economic rathole

[leftstreet]

3. Will the savings in labor costs be passed on to the customer?

I know, I know....

it was just a thought

[Canuckistanian]

4. I'm still not going to eat their crap. n/t

[Fumesucker]

5. The *employees* have a hard time operating the touch screens sometimes..

Every time I try to use the self service checkout somewhere I tell myself never again, it takes me three times as long as it does a professional check out person.

This move by McDonalds is all about cutting labor costs, it has nothing to do with convenience for customers.

[Schema Thing]

6. ooh, just like Jack in the box in Texas.

[Initech]

7. There was a Taco Bell by my house that tried this when I was a kid.

I always thought it was the coolest thing ever but it always got my order wrong.

[Renew Deal]

8. Now if they only changed their food

:shrug:

[eppur_se_muova]

9. "Convivial" means no contact with actual humans? Who knew? nt

[baldguy]

12. No actual meat in the hamburgers. No actual milk in the "milk" shakes.

And the potatoes are deep fried in animal fat.

[WinkyDink]

14. That's why they aren't CALLED "milkshakes." Also-----

Unfortunately, not only IS there "real meat" in the burgers; the consumption of same is devastating the Amazon rainforest.
http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0406-greenpeace.html

About the fries: Sorry, wrong again!
Golden on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. Made with quality potatoes and cooked in our Canola oil blend for zero grams of trans fat per serving.
http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/full_menu/snacks_and_sides/world_famous_fries.html

Just took a bit o'Googling.

[Skidmore]

10. McDonalds has a Social Responsibilty contact page

which includes employment practices among the issues to address with them.

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/contact_us.html

I took a few minutes to send them a note about the hypocrisy between this article and their recent touting of jobs as a career move in the US. Then I told them that seeking to eliminate jobs in this fashion here would mean that they would eliminate this family as customers. Don't eat there frequently but we do sometimes when we are on the road. I think companies that seek to eliminate employment need to be called on their lack of concern for the society in which they claim to be members.

[niyad]

11. isn't this the same company we were supposed to cheer several weeks ago for hiring 50k people?

[Obamanaut]

15. The cheering was for the 50K jobs in the US, nt

[Bigmack]

13. For those who have seen "Idiocracy"...

Remember the touch-screen hospital?

Nobody really needs to read with touch-screens with pictures on them, so the Repub plans for schools will work out well.