Experience the Future of Dining: My Visit to an AI-Powered Burger Joint
On April 1, 2023, in northeast Los Angeles, a new restaurant called CaliExpress by Flippy opened, claiming to be the world's first fully autonomous restaurant.
The establishment uses AI-powered robots to make and serve fast-food burgers and fries, with only a few humans needed to start the machines and assemble the meals.
The companies behind the technology suggest that implementing it could significantly reduce labor costs.
However, the experience of robot-served fast-food dining raises concerns about the future of human interaction and employment, particularly in the sex robot industry.
The article describes a visit to CaliExpress, a restaurant near Caltech university in Pasadena, where the menu includes an all-American lunch accompanied by existential dread.
Upon entering, the author was met with marketing for a "frying AI robot marvel," but few customers and mostly journalists.
The restaurant was adorned with early robot arm prototypes and a modern take on Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, featuring a human hand reaching for a robot claw holding french fries.
The atmosphere suggested a focus on technology and automation in the food industry.
You ordered a cheeseburger and fries from a self-serve kiosk at a burger joint for $15 plus tax.
The restaurant was experimenting with new technology and offered the option to pay with your face through PopID for a discount.
However, you declined and paid the regular way.
The collaboration between multiple companies was using the burger joint as a test kitchen for future fast-food technology.