The Automation
“What are the projections for customer support?”
“Within the home state where Café Max’s started, we expect a soft boycott to last for about two weeks. Everywhere else there should be minimal resistance.”
“And how much will we save again by doing all this?”
“There are obviously some tradeoff costs in this sort of switch over. Over the next five years, we project you will save a total of 1.5 million dollars per store. It would be higher but with the rising cost of maintenance and repair in addition to any potential welfare legislation you’ll have to save for, it’s a fair and conservative estimate.”
“Of course there will be legislation. The more people like me who turn to automation will help enlarge that class of people. Imagine if they actual lead a revolution. It’d be just like Mad Max in this god forsaken land.”
The accountant and aid to Mr. Zimmerman removed his pad from the front of his face, smiled and asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?”
Mr. Max Zimmerman told him no and the aid left the restaurant while the technicians continued to work behind the counter. The head of Designer Corps robotics division walked over to Max and pulled up the PDF documents on his pad and began to walk him through how the automation process would work.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Zimmerman, sir, the customers will walk through the front door located on the left most side of the front and they will be led directly to the counter and walk down the line to build their meal just like before. The only difference is that they will have to interact with the touch screen pad to build their meal. Although, I do like voice command myself. The arms building the meals can easily be accessorized with realistic torsos and heads to bring in a friendlier atmosphere.”
“The touch screens are cheaper and less prone to mistakes which reduce my complaints.” After the slight sing-song answer, Zimmerman took a vaping pen out of his front coat pocket and began to huff on the blackberry mist.
“You must have some faith in your analytics team.”
“My accountant does all of that. He hired the analytics out as well as the marketing to inform the local communities of our changes. What of these arms though? Do you insist on the fake latex skin covering them? Disembodied arms could be scary.”
“Mr. Zimmerman, as we explained before, we do not want to risk food or liquid from the meal preparation stations to get into the actual bio-skeletal joints. That would cost a lot in repairs. Also, the skin actually seems to ‘wow’ people. So they make their sandwich, get salad or soup, dessert, a drink, and then they seat themselves.”
Zimmerman followed the line watching the technicians applying the latex to a set of arms while some others ran cables underneath hammered out tile to run to the mainframe in the back. Other men were taking out some of the sinks, chairs, lockers, and hooks for belongings to make room for the added tech.
“And what of the clean up? When they are done with their meals?”
“Ahh, well they grab their tray correct and pick up their drink as well. The island here with the fountain drinks will be converted into a 3D Print recycling station since drinks will come from behind the counter now. We don’t want to risk them making a mess out here.
“There will be holes for each type of dish and each tray fitted to an exact size to minimize mistakes. The island is essentially now a giant waste disposal. Even if there is a mistake, the laser reader underneath the island will sort out the mess. Any large scraps of food will be thrown into the compost bin outside which our gardener will use as fertilizer for the plants on each side of your entrance and exit doors. Just imagine how much you are going to save in water and soap. The government will give you a tax break for this. Did your accountant tell you that?”
Zimmerman pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to his aide and told the Division Head no.
“Of course, our man isn’t here today but at Designer Corp we will always have an armed maintenance man on site in case of any sort of immediate repair or security risk.”
“Security risk?” Max was shocked since he had not heard of such a problem before.
“The equipment here is, well um, delicate you see. It’s imperative that the normal people who come in here are monitored to help discourage any tampering or damage. Additionally, we still have proprietary equipment and some competitors are just dying to get into a restaurant like yours, Mr. Zimmerman, to compete with us and ultimately people like you, our customers.”
“What about the cleaning?”
“Well, you could have an automated unit put in to clean the floors and sweep. Really, it’s cheaper and fine if you have vac and mop rover dog bots constantly on and we have a spic come in and deep clean once a month. It’s still much cheaper that way.”
Zimmerman laughed and said, “Mexicans are always cheap labor.”
“Yes, even with automation.”
The two partnered businessmen shook hands and walked out away from the island and towards the exit.
“It’s that simple. Everyone will enjoy it. Ray Kroc started the vision with the McDonald’s brothers and Designer Corp has realized the American dining experience. We have finally arrived. That is, until, 3D Food Printers become capable of actually providing enjoyable palatable meals,” said the division head of Robotoics at Designer Corp. Mr. Zimmerman, no longer recognizing the restaurant he had started and turned into a national chain, left without a word; hoping to begin his investment in rental properties. The rumor had it that most people would need them after automation. He thought “might as well check another store.”