Automation in food preparation

Following the enterprising family of Levitt that applied Ford's Model T-like assembly-line logic to building homes on New York's Long Island, the McDonald brothers decided to mimic this mentality in the preparation and serving of food.

• They identified their best sellers and slashed their menu from twenty-five items to the nine most popular items. An automatic condiment dispenser was designed that squirted a precise amount of ketchup or mustard, and a mechanised press formed beef into patties.
• The makeover included an assembly line of food preparation and less personnel. Customers had to get out of their cars and walk to the window to order, viewing the efficient kitchen where their food was being prepared.
• The efficiency meant reduced operational costs, lower cost to the customers, and a handsome profit to the brothers. But customers despised it. The facelift was a disaster.