Fast Food of the Future

Taco Bell is re-imagining their fast food outlets in response to customer demand shifting from sit-down dining to collect & drive-through orders.

As reported by the New York Post, the first of the new restaurants will open in 2022 and will have no site-down dining area. Instead, there will be only a kitchen sitting above drive-thru and self-order lanes with food delivered by a lift system.

I’m not sure whether this is good or bad, or whether this concept will survive or not; but I find this an interesting glimpse into how our daily lives will change in countless subtle and not-so-subtle ways as the 4IR picks up steam.

Just looking at this picture though, you can totally see that automated farming/trucking/distribution/drone delivery food production system dropping raw materials into the top of that Taco Bell building, and having it ‘fall through’ the kitchen into chutes for drivers waiting below! Right?

You can also see how jobs could shift from working ‘in’ the kitchen of fast food outlets to the higher-skill demands of working ‘on’ the kitchen/building in terms of maintaining and monitoring all the complex automation mechanics, electronics and software.

Food for thought …