$15 FAIL: California Burger Chain’s Now Using a Robotic Burger Flipper

March 7, 2018 in News by RBN Staff

 

Source: MRCtv

I’d hate to say “I told ya so,” but…you know the rest.

If a salaried employee walked into their boss’ office and demanded that their pay be doubled, that person better have had the professional year of their life to justify the audacity of that demand. So, what happens when someone working a minimum wage, minimally-skilled job demands the same thing?

Enter “Flippy.”

Flippy is a burger-flipping robot now being used in California burger chain CaliBurger.

While the implementation of Flippy certainly poses a threat to those that walk out of their fast food jobs to protest for more money, Cali Group CEO John Miller claims that the move was done for “consistency.”

Cali Group is the parent company of CaliBurger.

“The key to success in the restaurant industry is consistency,” Miller told KTLA. “So anytime you go to a CaliBurger anywhere you know that the patty will be cooked exactly the same.”

Even though consistency is important to any restaurant’s success, the move is sure to save the company money in the long run.

CaliBurger told KTLA in Los Angeles that the “robot can cut down on costs,” and that “less turnover means less time training new grill cooks.”

That’s a nice way of saying, ‘Yeah, we’re not paying someone $15 to flip a burger.” But, Miso Robotics co-founder and CEO David Zito said that Flippy is “not about replacing jobs.”

According to KTLA:

Flippy uses thermal imaging, 3D and camera vision to sense when to flip – and when to remove.

“It detects the temperature of the patty, the size of the patty and the temperature of the grill surface,” explained Zito.

The device also learns through artificial intelligence – basically, the more burgers that Flippy flips, the smarter it gets. Right now, cheese and toppings are added by a co-worker.

There’s no word on what Flippy will be paid — or if the robot will receive an employee discount, but one thing is for sure: The “Fight for $15” is a losing battle for employees.

To watch Flippy in action, watch below:

H/T: The Blaze