The Kiosk Dehumanization Glitch

The business that removes the human element in the name of efficiency and discovers too late that the human element was the product.

McDonald's calls it customer convenience. It is cost reduction wearing a technology costume. The tribal belonging circuit doesn't fire at a touchscreen. The feeling of being welcomed, recognized and served by another human being — that is not a feature. That is the business.

Every efficiency metric goes up. The customer count goes down. The tables that used to have a wait are empty by one o'clock.

Recognized by the five star location rating that drops to three stars after the renovation. Recognized by the empty tables at lunch in a restaurant that used to have a wait.