Video: What it's Like to Eat at a Restaurant Entirely Run by Computers
Customers get their food from one of Eatsa's cubbies. CNET
Fast-food is made even faster.
The idea of automated food conjures up an image of Rosie from the Jetsons serving a piece of rehydrated meatloaf.
Fully automated fast-food restaurant Eatsa is nothing like that. Recently opened in San Francisco, Eatsa is reminiscent of the 1950s automat, but with a more efficient, modern way of doing things.
Customers order at one of nine different iPad kiosks. After ordering, their name will appear on a large status board that tracks customers and their orders. Below that are numerous cubbies, with doors made of transparent LCD screens that alert customers when their order is ready.
"One of the key reasons we wanted to use technology to automate ordering, besides making it a more efficient process, is we're actually able to get to know our customers," said Tim Young, CEO and co-founder of Eatsa. "We're actually able to remember who you are, what you've ordered in the past, so that we can make it much faster for you to get your favorites with one touch ordering."
Just how fast is Eatsa? On a crowded day, food takes abut 3 to 5 minutes to arrive. When the restaurant is less busy, food can arrive as fast as 60 to 90 seconds.
To see the restaurant in action, check out the video below from CNET: