Fast-food chains are going old school with an innovative customer service update: human cashiers.
The push for touch-screen kiosks, mobile app deals, and digital ordering has been sweeping across favorite fast-food chains for years.
McDonald’s, Burger King and Starbucks have all offered exclusive in-app promotions to nudge customers online, while installing self-service kiosks in place of traditional counter service. But after facing customer frustration and growing demand for personal service, these chains are beginning to backtrack.
Self-pay kiosks have been a deterrent for some customers, whether it be price surges at Shake Shack or forced tipping at Popeyes.
Multiple chains are now launching programs and messaging that emphasize customer service and traditional hospitality, reversing course after years of prioritizing tech-infused automation.
Just two years ago, McDonald’s rolled out advanced digital kiosks designed to reduce reliance on human cashiers. Now, the company has announced its “Make it Golden” initiative to retrain two million global employees on customer service skills.
The fast-food giant also plans to issue more customer service evaluations to pinpoint areas needing hospitality improvements. McDonald’s isn’t scrapping kiosks entirely but wants to strike a balance, so an employee is always on hand for customers who prefer human interaction.
“I went (to McDonald’s) late at night recently and there was one person working,” said a Redditor. “There were at least eight cars in the drive-thru and people in the lobby.”
Starbucks and Burger King are similarly refocusing on the customer experience, according to the Wall Street Journal. Burger King is redesigning its restaurants to place ordering kiosks alongside walls rather than directly in front of the lobby entrance where patrons typically queue up.
Burger King President Tom Curtis said the company wants to cater to guests seeking a friendly face—even though Burger King’s CEO claimed in 2023 that digital kiosks eliminate “stressful interactions” at counter registers, according to Business Insider.
Meanwhile, Starbucks is pouring $1 billion into a comprehensive storewide makeover in an effort to attract guests who feel “lonely and disconnected.” Over the past nine months, 1,000 locations have received updates featuring upholstered leather seating, rugs, bookshelves, houseplants, ceramics, curtains, mirrors, and fresh paint.
The coffee giant has added 25,000 extra seats and additional power outlets to encourage patrons to stay, reinforcing the coffeehouse as a traditional “third place” between home and work.
They’ve also worked to bring back personalized cup messages, buying around 200,000 Sharpies to bring cup messages back.
Their goal is to have Starbucks feel less like a pick-up point, but a destination for human connection and relaxation.
“The world is coming back to this, being in a place and meeting with humans, not being distant,” Starbucks’ senior vice president of coffeehouse design told the Financial Times.
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