• porcupine@lemmygrad.ml
    ·
    edit-2
    4 months ago

    I feel like any sensible society should consider it a luxury to have a meal (of whatever quality) produced in the amount of time it takes for a car to drive from a speaker to a drive-through window potentially 24 hours a day anywhere they go. Imagine if that level of production efficiency were put toward something more socially useful than convenience food delivery speed to drivers. Like, imagine if you had to wait a few minutes longer to order a burger, but instead medical appointment wait times were shorter.

    • somename [she/her]
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      I disagree. Assuming fewer chains and less overall bloat, places where workers can get food on/near on demand seems quite useful. Whether it’s a cafeteria or a stack of food delivered through a window, I don’t see why it’s bad. It’s an economic niche.

      • came_apart_at_Kmart [he/him, comrade/them]
        ·
        4 months ago

        it's also not that magical. quick serve cafeterias and soup/smother lines have been around forever. the fast food logistical system is about fordist replaceable labor, product branding/uniformity over great distances, and adding pizazz/fluff to the lowest tier quality ingredients.

        there's a Cajun joint by my house where you can get any of like 12 different options (jambalaya, gumbo, etouffee, etc) with rice and toasted garlic bread for a reasonable price and it comes out the window in less than 4 minutes after you pay. it is not high tech lol.

      • porcupine@lemmygrad.ml
        ·
        4 months ago

        I'm not suggesting it would be as simple as dropping untrained fast food workers into clinics and calling it a day, but broadly: yes, I think diverting many of the workers currently required to keep fast food places operating into healthcare jobs (for example) would probably produce a greater net social benefit than my ability to have a burger handed to me through my car window within 2 minutes of ordering it in every town in the US.

        • ashinadash [she/her, comrade/them]
          ·
          4 months ago

          I see, I support this. All else being equal (educational institutions that aren't dogshit, etc) that sounds fairly reasonable. My question was only meant as half incredulous :)

        • peeonyou [he/him]
          ·
          4 months ago

          what if we put health clinics in fast food restaurants!?