Burger King will use AI to check if employees say 'please' and 'thank you'
theverge.com
theverge.com
[1] https://archive.is/fMYQp (BK DMCA'd the original article offline[2])
It also sounds like they’re basically confirming [1] as well out loud — “He adds that the company is currently testing the AI drive-thru technology in fewer than 100 restaurants.”
Of note, I recall back in the mid-2000s there was a swing-down device near the order packing zone in the Burger King kitchen and it had a screen and a keypad on it and was labeled the “Manager’s Assistant” (or maybe “Kitchen Minder”?) device. From what I understood it was tracking production, providing reminders to check the bathroom, and providing projected order volume information.
https://bobdahacker.com/blog/rbi-hacked-drive-thrus/
> Cyble Inc. is an AI-powered cybersecurity platform and DMCA takedown service startup backed by Y Combinator. Their complaint specifically states that our use of the "Burger King" trademark was unauthorized and creates "a high degree of confusion among the public that the website is in some way endorsed by/or linked with our Client."
Way to reinforce the stereotype about their clients.
If you want people to genuinely be nice, give them reasons. Make them happy. Help them stay motivated. Otherwise you cheapen "please" and "thank you" even more than is already the case and get zero value out of it because no one will appreciate it knowing that it's forced.
A world where everyone says "please" and "thank you" isn't a better world.
Sad thing is, probably BK reckon its average customer is dumb enough to mistake it for genuine.
Sadder thing is, probably they're correct.
And if not, well, this latest move will help make it so.
Say it ain't so!
I was told by my managers there was nothing they could do about it because nobody was allowed to edit the total scores or remove obviously bad records because someone might do that for the wrong reasons. So I just had to live with it.
I have it in my head that a lot of these problems core issue is a lack of faith / effort in creating good front line management. At a food place a good front line manager keeps everyone going, the mood light, and can really make all the difference in the world, but rather lazy middle, upper managers, would slap some survey or metrics or AI on things.
In that way it's no really an AI issue, just the typical bad management issue.
>Because it’s integrated with the new cloud point-of-sale system, the AI assistant will also alert managers if a machine is down for maintenance or when an item is out of stock. “Within 15 minutes, the entire ecosystem will remove it from stock
If you're out of fries ... taking 15 minutes to reflect that on the menu doesn't seem very fast.
How the hell have they survived this long. It’s consistently been the worst fast food burger restaurant I’ve been across the various states I’ve lived.
I would equally have a problem with a manager who is threatening to write people up if they don't meet some count of saying the words "please" and "thank you."
I don't want AI to enable micromanagement of stuff that doesn't really need to be micromanaged. How it should be done is this: Print a QR code on the receipt. If I feel the drivethru conversation was bad, let me scan it and notify you. Then you can have AI review that conversation, and we'll also find out who the people are that just like to complain too much and ban them from the establishments.
(probably killing a dead horse posting this again in this thread but it's the best response)
'sorry, the system says this is your new pay rate. If you meet quota without failing to meet quota for the next 6 months, you will be eligible for a rate promotion if your manager requests it'
1. CEO has agreed to wear headset. However, does not want monitoring and accountability mechanisms in place; wants to move forward on the basis of trust.
2. In an expression of gratitude for your support, we have converted your stock holdings from class B to class A, increasing your voting power.
3. We're going to dilute the shit out of this stock.
Best wear a Faraday cage too, then :)
I guess on the face of it that's not a crazy thing to think but I was always struck by how "normal" people seemed to think that would be. Maybe it's TV/Movies that have done something like that and make people think it's a real thing but more importantly (disgustingly?) that it's perfectly reasonable.
As it is when I go to some fast food places they greet you in one voice (possibly a central ordering system) and you get a second voice that interrupts (local people I suspect) and takes over. It's weird.
Those pre-ordering recordings asking if I'm using an app are already horrible enough as it is. Offloading basic human politeness to machines would be even worse.
No. That does strip the meaning out of it. I also object to Burger King's proposal.
But at least it's still coming from an actual person, even if they're forced to do it. That may not be much, but it's still better.
Yeah, that'd definitely be The Truly Sincere Experience™.
You'd have already been screened out by "You rule".
But V2 will! The "AI" will handle the whole customer interaction, with the human doing nothing but carrying it around on his head.
I would have had more respect for this 'invention' had the AI was being used on customers, with automated, activated consequences ...
Some variation on the extendable punch glove: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr1B9a_2Cy4
Yes, there are probably a thousand other actions they could take to increase number of sold meals, but my guess this one is easy pickings, i.e. cost vs return.
Why would me ordering a burger be a problem? It’s such a weird response. It’s the opposite of Chick-Fil-A’s “My pleasure”.
~ I would like a burger, fries oh and come tune my trucks engine and neutralize that mugger that is attacking that elderly woman just down the street.
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersize
* I know this was primarily McDonald's innovation, but Burger King was guilty of it, too.
I can assure that is not the case. I would love to know what the secret is to getting people to show an ounce of enthusiasm. A family member has a bakery and getting the front of house to engage with the customer at all is like pulling teeth, and this is an above-minimum-wage job with tips. They aren't on "commission" (it's been tried) but their tips are directly influenced by the ticket price (obviously).
The opposite - silence and stares - is uncanny, and has gotten much more common in the past 10 years. Everyone notices, and it brings down the vibe.
That doesn't mean forcing your workers to do X Y Z. What it means, IMO, is hiring workers who are pleasant. That would require a pay raise though, because you can't be picky at 10 bucks an hour.
On the other hand, I don't think I've ever received exceptional service in that situation either. I'm not sure what that would even look like. Beyond some eye contact and a friendly tone, what is the tip supposed to incentivize?
I second-guess it not from losing money, but by tipping, I may be incentivizing this low wage. I.e. I don't like the idea of tipping, but it's an easy way to contribute back to people who are getting hosed by our system.
Because which employer we work for is voluntary. If I own a business, I can choose which systems I implement in order to ensure a certain level of quality. If I had a logistics company, would it be inhumane to install cameras in the truck and GPS devices that monitor speed? Absolutely not. There's something called "risk" and from a business standpoint, it needs to be mitigated and controlled.
That is why, as employees, even certain key words are monitored on our computers. If we're in a relationship with a co-worker, it needs to get reported. The list goes on.
A critical part of fast food is customer service. If customer services goes down the drain, that presents a very real business risk to Burger King.
To a certain extent, this has been a standard practice in the field of customer service representatives that are taking calls all day. Their calls are monitored and recorded, then reviewed to ensure a certain level of performance.
The job market sucks right now, but mostly for white collar. Out of touch would be for me to say that a software developer or data engineer would not struggle to find a job right now.
Hospitality, trades, retail, and most working class jobs are much more stable right now.
Again, if someone is making $15 bucks an hour at McDonald's, I promise you that there is a job paying just as much in another industry that they could start within two weeks.
Out of touch is someone who thinks that is not possible.
Imagine bring pitch forks into the conversation because you disagree with a business technique.
Bud, go take a walk, breath, and then realize that we're talking about which work environment someone prefers based on employer practices. We're not talking about an inescapable government surveillance system that will monitor when you leave your house every day.
2. Fast food is NOT one of the most dehumanizing soul crushing jobs. Yes, you deal with a lot of rude customers. But if you go into fast food unprepared for that, that's on you. It is part of the job (also part of hospitality) and it all comes down to how you respond and handle it.
3. If you're working fast food and willing to accept, or are stuck with, a low-wage job, that means there's other readily-available low-wage jobs that you can switch to. Working fast food is voluntary.
Since you have so much fast food experience, why did you not address how egregious customer service can be at places like Burger King? It's a problem. I've lost count of the amount of times a bunch of young employees slammed drive through windows on me, had an aggressive attitude simply because something wasn't right in their day, etc.
As a customer, I report it, but then feel like nothing gets done. It's my word against theirs. These systems allow management to actually know what's happening, who said what, if someone is disrespecting customers, etc.
Based on what you think is disgusting, I suspect you lack a TON of life experience and exposure to the world. My first-hand experience has led me to believe that a 5-year having to be on the streets selling candy full-time is "effing degusting".
Your definition if disgusting sounds very first-world.
Don't you have better things to do with your limited time on Earth?
So there's only one group that has the power of the sword, and that is the government. There's only one group that holds a monopoly on violence, and that's government. There's only one group that can steal your home, along with anything else they want, using the state powers like eminent domain, and that's the government.
You say governments are accountable. Tell that to every Jeffrey Epstein victim and ask them how much accountability there is right now in government as it relates to the integrity of their investigation.
I say this with all due respect, but your comment is so far from fact that I think you may be trolling.
I can honestly think of maybe two business leaders that would survive a vote by their workers to stay in power of the company.
Private enterprise enable some of the worst forms of human collaboration (monarchies, oligarchies, centrally planned top down enforced initiatives). Democracies are more efficient and far, so why not legislate their existence in workplaces?
If it helps, you sound like the troll to me.
As an employee, we take part in charting the course for the business, but businesses have owners, and they have the ultimate say. A nation does not have owners. A nation has citizens, which is why democracy makes sense in a nation, but not a business; although loosely speaking, putting things to a vote when it's appropriate is not a bad thing. But no employee is entitled to that unless it is directly related to the scope of his or her employment.
Ultimately, you are conflating two different worlds: private enterprise and politics. They are two separate things; two separate animals; with two separate natures.
Read the room, guy. You're taking time to type out a response to me, a complete stranger. And here you are, trying to portray me in a negative light because I put a couple minutes towards something that for me, was worth it.
If I was a business owner and had a long-time loyal customer that was getting treated poorly, I would want to know about it.
If I'm going to the same place every day, I don't want to continue experiencing the same poor service.
> Don't you have better things to do with your limited time on Earth?
...Don't you?