Remember that McDonald's was just as disruptive in the 1960s when they introduced the quick-service model (what we call fast food today), replacing the drive-in and diner. By standardizing ingredients, cooking methods, presentation, menu, etc, the company was able to keep the product consistent across an entire nation. That was revolutionary in itself.

But choices were simple in 1952. McDonald's original menu had, what, 4 items on it? Burger, cheeseburger, fries, drink. People didn't want customization so it was easy to assemble an order in a bag in under 30 seconds.

People want more choices now. It's why McDonald's is struggling to keep up. Their systems, multiple generations more advanced than before, can handle it but only to a certain degree.

Chipotle has found a way to address this desire for choice by bringing back what really is a buffet line. The innovation is that they found a way to streamline that into a fixed set of choices (Burrito or Bowl? Meat or chicken?) that avoids the line turning into a slow moving nightmare of indecisive lookers like you get at a typical wedding reception or church dinner.

It was interesting to read in the article how McD's wanted to solve Chipotle's problems with technology, when really those weren't huge problems at all. It shows the difference in culture.