Future Of Fast Food: No Humans, No Problem

Prefer your fast food without human interaction? You got it. This could be the future of fast food, and it’s happening in California.

And it’s happening more and more.

Eatsa recently opened in San Francisco, Berkeley and Woodland Hills — and almost no human interaction is required.

Modern with clean lines and a techie feel, Eatsa is a small and growing tech-infused chain doing its spin on the ol’ automat concept, all while serving healthy and customizable quinoa bowls, as well as breakfast options. Millennials love customizing everything, and this is clearly aimed at that demographic.

While a human greets you at the door, it’s basically a digital operation from there.

Let’s try out Eatsa, shall we? Here we go.

You walk in and notice small boxes and people’s names (their orders) listed on a screen above.

Head over to the tablets and get your credit card out, ready to swipe. The app on the tablet begins by giving you recommended options for quinoa bowls starting at $3.95 each. Or, you can get creative and make your own. If you’ve been here before, it’ll have your past orders, which you can recreate.

Perhaps you want a pre-designed “No Worry Curry” or “Chili Con Quinoa” bowl. Or, you start with a scramble base, add veggies and cheese. Add a coffee or green tea, which you can add to or customize if you like.

Need help? There’s an employee nearby to help. Just hail ‘em over. But let’s just try to keep focused on this “no human interaction” thing.

You’ll see your name pop up on those screens you saw when you came in. Then, you’ll see your name highlighted with a “cubby” number next to it. Head over to that numbered cubby and double-tap on the corner of the screen. The door will open, and voila, there is your food ready to enjoy.

Eatsa lets you also order ahead if you’re not willing to go through the walk-in experience with a potential line to have to wait in.

So, what does this mean for fast food? Or is this fast-casual? Seems like restaurants could get into this: saving money on employees and saving time with customers.

But are we headed toward a dining experience that is completely devoid of human interaction?

If you’re concerned, maybe bring a friend along to dine with…