A new ballot for a wage increase in Washington, D.C. could expedite the rise of an automated workforce for resturaunts like McDonald's.
A ballot initiative to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour is gaining steam in the District, and workers across the nation are taking a stand for more fair wages, according to the Washington Post. Thirty percent of restaurant costs go toward employee salaries, so if the minimum wage rises, the cost effectiveness of robot workers becomes that much more enticing.
Some believe the federal government raising the minimum wage could spell disaster, like Equity Group Investment Chairman and billionaire Sam Zell.
Zell argues that doubling the federal minimum wage is a "poor substitute" for good policy and it's a fast track for a robot-manned McDonald's, according to CNBC.
"If you double the cost, there's no question that everybody will figure out ways to use less people," said Zell. "I think minimum wages have always been a poor substitute for economic policy."
That future may be closer than we think, with the arrival of "Smart Restaurant," a fully automated burger maker.
The machine can produce up to 360 burgers an hour, chop toppings like pickles and tomatoes, offer custom meat grinds and do it all with no breaks, according to manufacturer Momentum Machines.
But the food tech company does believe its machine could actually improve the job market because the companies that use the machines would be able to spend money elsewhere, expanding their frontiers of production which would call for more workers.
Momentum Machines also say the general public would save money on the reduced cost of food.
