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.
Impact and considerations
The trend shows automation can erode guest experience even as it boosts efficiency, requiring food-service and hospitality operators to rebalance technology investment and front-of-house staffing.
Key points
- McDonald's rolled out a 'Make it Golden' push requiring crew members to check in with guests in the lobby.
- A McDonald's franchisee group survey found guests view store visits as 'rushed, impersonal, sterile and cold'.
- McDonald's is integrating guest satisfaction scores into franchisee performance evaluations and 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 resolve customer grievances directly in the lobby.
- Burger King is redesigning restaurant layouts to move kiosks to the side of the lobby, keeping human interaction front and centre.
- HT research shows 45.4% of consumers still prefer ordering at a traditional counter, ahead of mobile apps (43.0%) and self-service kiosks (19.1%).
- 26.6% of restaurant guests say kiosks make dining feel impersonal, while 37.5% point to substandard personal service as a byproduct of current operational models.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- Hospitality Technology
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 15 Sept 2026, 22:22
- Page published
- 16 Sept 2026, 00:04
- Last updated
- 15 Sept 2026, 22:22
- Original links
- Hospitality Technology：The Effort To Make McDonald’s, Burger King’s Digital-First Experience Feel More Human (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 15 Sept 2026, 22:22