McDonald's and Burger King Rethink Human Touch in Digital-First Experience

Quick-service chains including McDonald's and Burger King are adjusting operations to fill the hospitality vacuum created by digital ordering. McDonald's rolled out a 'Make it Golden' push requiring crew to check in with lobby guests, is integrating guest satisfaction scores into franchisee performance evaluations and is preparing a global retraining program covering two million team members. Burger King is directing store leadership to prioritise order verification, maintain visible counter coverage and move kiosks to the side of the lobby. HT research shows 45.4% of consumers still prefer ordering at a traditional counter, while 26.6% say kiosks make dining feel impersonal.