The owner of CaliBurger has installed robotic burger flippers in his restaurants at a cost of $30,000 each.

Having one burger flipper working at all times, making minimum wage, with a 20% add-on for FICA, disability and unemployment insurance, would cost the owner $50,000 per year.

Ah oh!!!

It seems like you could build a broiler/conveyor for much less than $30K. I guess the customers could put the burgers on and take them off self-service.

I assume an employee at a fast food restaurant does more than just flip burgers. I was at a fairly modernized McDonald's the other day and while I was waiting 10 minutes for one vanilla shake, I was impressed with how many high tech machines they utilize these days. The problem though is they still had 10 employees in the kitchen doing various jobs (like putting fries in the fryer, or extras on the burgers) and all of them were still working at a snail's pace. My sense is that the technology is creating lazier workers who probably now know how to do one or two menial tasks at best.

(03-11-2017 12:54 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  I assume an employee at a fast food restaurant does more than just flip burgers. I was at a fairly modernized McDonald's the other day and while I was waiting 10 minutes for one vanilla shake, I was impressed with how many high tech machines they utilize these days. The problem though is they still had 10 employees in the kitchen doing various jobs (like putting fries in the fryer, or extras on the burgers) and all of them were still working at a snail's pace. My sense is that the technology is creating lazier workers who probably now know how to do one or two menial tasks at best.

High tech is not making them lazy.

Getting a high wage for performing an unskilled task makes them lazy.

McDonald's already has automatic grills, all you do is press buttons after laying the food down, no order (unless it is fish or a rare item) should take more than 3 minutes, start to finish.

(03-11-2017 08:39 AM)LeFlâneur Wrote:  The owner of CaliBurger has installed robotic burger flippers in his restaurants at a cost of $30,000 each.

Having one burger flipper working at all times, making minimum wage, with a 20% add-on for FICA, disability and unemployment insurance, would cost the owner $50,000 per year.

Ah oh!!!

Got a link about that?

(03-12-2017 12:49 AM)q5sys Wrote:  

(03-11-2017 08:39 AM)LeFlâneur Wrote:  The owner of CaliBurger has installed robotic burger flippers in his restaurants at a cost of $30,000 each.

Having one burger flipper working at all times, making minimum wage, with a 20% add-on for FICA, disability and unemployment insurance, would cost the owner $50,000 per year.

Ah oh!!!

Got a link about that?

Yepper doo

This is just another example automation taking jobs in the war on labor. I get that no one wants to pay $15 an hour for a burger flipper. But what happens when all the jobs are gone? Amazon Go is another example of this ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrmMk1Myrxc ). Wait until they source it out to Wal-Mart.

(03-12-2017 08:08 AM)hawghiggs Wrote:  This is just another example automation taking jobs in the war on labor. I get that no one wants to pay $15 an hour for a burger flipper. But what happens when all the jobs are gone? Amazon Go is another example of this ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrmMk1Myrxc ). Wait until they source it out to Wal-Mart.

The luddites were asking that same question 200 years ago.

If they can do better than this they are worth the investment:



Plus think of all the robotic burger flipper manufacturing/installation/maintenance jobs they create!

(03-12-2017 09:30 AM)Chappy Wrote:  If they can do better than this they are worth the investment:



Plus think of all the robotic burger flipper manufacturing/installation/maintenance jobs they create!

Problem is those jobs will be in demand but the former burger flipper now out of a job doesn't even begin to have the necessary education/skill to do those jobs.

Self driving cars and automated service is going to put unskilled and semi-skilled people out of work. And these folks would require a lot of training and education to be able to do something else to make a living.

(03-12-2017 09:14 AM)LeFlâneur Wrote:  

(03-12-2017 08:08 AM)hawghiggs Wrote:  This is just another example automation taking jobs in the war on labor. I get that no one wants to pay $15 an hour for a burger flipper. But what happens when all the jobs are gone? Amazon Go is another example of this ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrmMk1Myrxc ). Wait until they source it out to Wal-Mart.

The luddites were asking that same question 200 years ago.

This isn't the same. Automation will soon touch almost every aspect of our lives. It won't be just low skilled labor that starts to go away. Plenty of white collar jobs will see this trend. Autonomous vehicles will do the shipping. Even if drivers are still required to be in vehicles. How much will they need to be paid. If they aren't doing the driving?

(03-12-2017 11:04 AM)hawghiggs Wrote:  

(03-12-2017 09:14 AM)LeFlâneur Wrote:  

(03-12-2017 08:08 AM)hawghiggs Wrote:  This is just another example automation taking jobs in the war on labor. I get that no one wants to pay $15 an hour for a burger flipper. But what happens when all the jobs are gone? Amazon Go is another example of this ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrmMk1Myrxc ). Wait until they source it out to Wal-Mart.

The luddites were asking that same question 200 years ago.

This isn't the same. Automation will soon touch almost every aspect of our lives. It won't be just low skilled labor that starts to go away. Plenty of white collar jobs will see this trend. Autonomous vehicles will do the shipping. Even if drivers are still required to be in vehicles. How much will they need to be paid. If they aren't doing the driving?

The left would demand a living wage!
Even if the only skill required to sit in a self driving vehicle is a pulse.

(03-12-2017 11:49 AM)mptnstr@44 Wrote:  

(03-12-2017 11:04 AM)hawghiggs Wrote:  

(03-12-2017 09:14 AM)LeFlâneur Wrote:  

(03-12-2017 08:08 AM)hawghiggs Wrote:  This is just another example automation taking jobs in the war on labor. I get that no one wants to pay $15 an hour for a burger flipper. But what happens when all the jobs are gone? Amazon Go is another example of this ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrmMk1Myrxc ). Wait until they source it out to Wal-Mart.

The luddites were asking that same question 200 years ago.

This isn't the same. Automation will soon touch almost every aspect of our lives. It won't be just low skilled labor that starts to go away. Plenty of white collar jobs will see this trend. Autonomous vehicles will do the shipping. Even if drivers are still required to be in vehicles. How much will they need to be paid. If they aren't doing the driving?

The left would demand a living wage!
Even if the only skill required to sit in a self driving vehicle is a pulse.

Probably so. But this isn't just a left or right problem that we are facing.

(03-11-2017 12:41 PM)Ohio Poly Wrote:  It seems like you could build a broiler/conveyor for much less than $30K. I guess the customers could put the burgers on and take them off self-service.

Nope. Even with the guarding, the shields, the signage, and audio warnings, everything to protect the self-service customer, the first person that burns themself loading or unloading will sue you to bankruptcy.

Robots are the better choice.

(03-12-2017 11:49 AM)mptnstr@44 Wrote:  Even if the only skill required to sit in a self driving vehicle is a pulse.

There used to be elevator operators.

(03-12-2017 06:33 PM)The Sicatoka Wrote:  

(03-12-2017 11:49 AM)mptnstr@44 Wrote:  Even if the only skill required to sit in a self driving vehicle is a pulse.

There used to be elevator operators.

Still are in upscale joints.

You know people with Down Syndrome get hired by McDonald's at a very low wage? It is one of few jobs that they can have, and they could be replaced by machines at the cash registers.

(03-13-2017 02:14 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  You know people with Down Syndrome get hired by McDonald's at a very low wage? It is one of few jobs that they can have, and they could be replaced by machines at the cash registers.

Doubt it, they are tax write offs.

Actually, this could help people with disabilities. The machine might flip the burgers, but somebody still has to load the machine with beef, put on the toppings and wrap the burgers.