McDonald’s, Burger King and Starbucks Want More Human Interaction Again

After years spent building out kiosks, apps, and mobile ordering, America’s biggest fast-food chains are reversing course. McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and Starbucks are all putting renewed emphasis on human interaction, retraining workers and redesigning restaurants around hospitality, according to The Wall Street Journal. Executives say convenience and speed alone are no longer enough to keep customers coming back through the drive-thru.

McDonald’s Launches Its Biggest Hospitality Push in Years

More than two million McDonald’s workers worldwide will go through retraining under a new hospitality program called “Make it Golden,” one of the company’s biggest pushes on customer service to date. “Food is important,” global chief people officer Tiffanie Boyd told the Journal. “Price is important, but experience has also become much more important than it used to be.” The company is making hospitality part of how it grades franchise performance.

Franchisees Say Restaurants Feel “Rushed” and “Cold”

The push comes after McDonald’s own franchisee group, the National Operators Association, surveyed guests and reported that experiences in restaurants “seem rushed, impersonal, sterile and cold.” The company’s stock has also struggled. Shares have fallen more than 13 percent this year and hit their cheapest valuation in over a decade, closing at $257.75 on September 14, the Daily Mail reported, the lowest level in nearly two years.

Burger King Moves Kiosks Aside for a “Friendly Face”

At Burger King, a redesigned restaurant layout tucks part of the ordering kiosks off to the side of the lobby instead of front and center, making room for a staffed counter. U.S. President Tom Curtis said managers are being told to keep counters staffed, double-check orders, and respond to complaints. “They want a friendly face,” Curtis said. “We have to lean in to that because that’s evaporating in the fast food space.”

Starbucks Bets on Armchairs and Houseplants

Starbucks is also rethinking its approach, investing in training, labor, and better-looking cafes in an effort to regain customers, the Journal reported. Comfy armchairs and houseplants are part of an effort to draw back what the Daily Mail described as “lonely and disconnected” Americans. The goal, like at its rivals, is to make stores feel less like ordering terminals and more like places worth visiting.

Wendy’s Reconsiders Its AI Drive-Thru Experiment

Wendy’s is folding service improvements into a strategic overhaul across its restaurants, echoing the moves at its rivals. CEO Bob Wright is separately reviewing the chain’s ongoing trials of artificial intelligence in its drive-throughs, weighing whether the technology actually serves both customers and the restaurant operators who run its locations. “The best service experiences feel natural to the customer,” Wright told the Journal.

Chick-fil-A Sets the Bar, Research Shows

Market-research firm Technomic found that consumers rate Chick-fil-A highest for service, crediting its practice of staffing drive-throughs with tablet-toting workers who guide customers while they wait. Wendy’s, Burger King, and McDonald’s all scored lower. Technomic noted that while younger customers are generally comfortable ordering digitally, a growing share of Gen-Z fast-food diners still say they prize friendly, in-person service over ordering online.

One Longtime Fan Says She Won’t Go Back

Rising menu prices have pushed some diners to spend less at fast-food chains altogether, according to customers and market-research firms cited by the Journal. Carolyn Blue, an attorney from Charleston, South Carolina, and a lifelong McDonald’s fan, told the Journal she now goes more often to Arby’s and Chick-fil-A because the service there is better. “It breaks my heart,” said Blue, who said she misses McDonald’s fries. “We just won’t go back.”

McDonald’s Trains Workers to Check on Diners

In June, McDonald’s put a new U.S. president in charge of an initiative called McDonald’s Next, part of a global strategy built around food “served with a smile.” Training documents reviewed by the Journal now tell workers to greet customers energetically and check on diners both in the lobby and on their way out, and they no longer have to ask whether someone used the McDonald’s app. St. Louis customer Jesda Gulati said having food brought to his table “makes waiting for food less irritating.”

Customers Say the Kiosks Were Never the Whole Answer

Reactions online suggest the frustration runs deep. One Reddit user described visiting a McDonald’s with just one employee working while eight cars waited in the drive-thru, writing they’d “never wanted to tip a fast food worker before.” Another argued that kiosks don’t actually replace a staffed front counter, and that someone still has to be available when customers need help. As chains retrain millions of workers, the message is finally being heard. They’ll take a friendly face over another screen.