Restaurant chains experimented with automation this year as the labor crunch pressured their profits.
Source: Restaurant chains are investing in robots, bringing change for workers
The labor shortage is a long-term trend due to demographics. It will be addressed through a combination of automation, business process efficiency improvements, and immigration (where possible and it makes sense to do so).
Automation will take over or supplement various roles, together with customer provided labor. Regarding the latter, at many fast-food outlets, you now enter your own order via a kiosk or phone app, and you fill your own soda. Each of these steps reduces the vendor provided labor.
