Surprising Impact of McDonald’s Touchscreen Kiosks: Job Growth Instead of Cuts

When McDonald’s first introduced touchscreen kiosks in its restaurants 25 years ago, many feared they would lead to job losses. However, the actual outcome was unexpected: rather than eliminating jobs, these kiosks have increased the workload for kitchen staff and shifted employees to new roles, leading to more tasks for workers rather than fewer.

Back in 1999, industry experts predicted that kiosks might replace human workers, with one trade publication even suggesting they could phase out some employees entirely. However, instead of cutting jobs, McDonald’s and other fast-food chains have repurposed workers, moving them into different roles such as maintaining dining areas or assisting customers with kiosk orders.

The kiosks have also had a surprising effect on customer spending. Shake Shack CEO Robert Lynch highlighted how kiosks encourage customers to purchase additional items like milkshakes and fries, which employees might not push when busy. But the new technology hasn’t been without challenges. Some studies show that when customers are rushed by a line forming behind them at kiosks, they tend to order less food.

McDonald’s franchisees in the U.S. are now introducing kiosks that can handle cash transactions, but the company has not reduced staff. Instead, workers are reassigned to roles like “guest experience leads,” helping customers navigate the kiosks.

While kiosks have made fast-food ordering more complex by integrating mobile and delivery options, experts like RJ Hottovy of Placer.ai believe this technology has created “a restaurant within a restaurant.” And despite their growing presence, some kiosks have struggled to catch on. For example, Bowlero’s attempt to introduce kiosks in bowling lanes failed due to insufficient training for both customers and staff.

The kiosks’ unintended effects offer valuable lessons for the restaurant industry as it experiments with new technologies like artificial intelligence in drive-thru lanes. Though once feared as a response to rising minimum wages, self-service kiosks have shown that automation doesn’t necessarily mean fewer jobs—it can lead to different tasks, a trend observed across industries from ATMs to retail.

In the end, the kiosks have shifted rather than reduced labor, with fast-food and retail sectors continuing to expand staffing, even surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 3% according to Labor Department data.