Starbucks has found the perfect mix of digital and human ordering.
You can use the company’s app to place your complicated order and know it will be made exactly the way you want. And people who don’t want to use the app can stand in line or go through the drive-through to order from an actual human.
It’s a simple formula that makes technology an option, but doesn’t force it down people’s throats.
McDonald’s has embraced technology, but at the expense of people. In many stores, it has replaced the human ordering option with kiosks. To make matters worse, those kiosks aren’t in any way intuitive, and they’re frustrating to use at best.
It’s the opposite of customer service, and a visit to McDonald’s has become, at least for some customers, as frustrating as getting stuck in an artificial intelligence (AI) loop with your cable company.
McDonald’s has made digital ordering its priority
While some McDonald’s still have manned cashiers, that’s no longer the common experience. Instead, you walk in and can either go to the register and hope someone shows up, order via the kiosk, or order through the app.
As someone who only eats at McDonald’s when friends want to stop there, I’m not going to download the app. I have used it, and it’s an easier experience than the kiosk, but it’s not practical to keep apps on your phone you rarely use, as the memory situation on my phone would force me to re-download it on every visit.
Having used the kiosk multiple times, I’d call the experience non-intuitive. I’m fairly tech-savvy and struggled to substitute the drink on a combo meal.
In addition, on our last two visits, the payment system did not work. Instead, the app said to take the receipt and pay at the counter. That was a fail on multiple levels, since no receipt was printed and there was no person working at the counter.
We eventually shouted down a person, paid, and then waited more than 20 minutes for our order.
As we waited, we watched multiple people struggle with the kiosk, saw a few simply wait until a person came to the counter, and saw two give up and leave. The bathroom was locked, and when we finally got the code, it was not clean, there were no paper towels, and the hand dryer was broken.
It was a customer service fail on so many levels, but it was made worse because this was clearly the process McDonald’s chose.
Yes, some franchise operators pay for more front-facing help, but the kiosks were designed to reduce the need for front-counter staff, and they have done so in the most frustrating way possible.
McDonald’s has lost its way
McDonald’s was literally built around the idea of fast, friendly service. The chain arguably pioneered the modern fast-food experience, but has diminished its people-first approach for a digital one that does not match the needs of its customer base.
That’s a material risk for the brand.
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“More than two-thirds of consumers say they have abandoned a digital task because the process was too annoying, according to a survey of 1,000 consumers by digital experience platform provider Liferay.
Making it harder to order from a human has consequences.
“Nearly 90% report reduced loyalty when human support is removed,” according to the 2026 CX Trends Report.
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McDonald’s has other priorities
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol has made customer service a renewed priority as part of his “Back to Starbucks” turnaround plan.
“We have been enhancing the in-store experience with the return of the condiment bar, writing on cups, more ceramic mugs and a revised code of conduct,” he shared.
Meanwhile, McDonald’s CEO Christopher Kempczinski laid out his priorities during the company’s first-quarter earnings call and never mentioned customer service or the in-store experience.
“In a challenging environment, our system stayed focused on what we can control, delivering on the things that matter most to our customers, compelling value that brings customers in the door, breakthrough marketing that gives people a reason to choose McDonald’s and great-tasting menu innovation that keeps us relevant and gives customers more of what they want,” he shared during the chain’s first-quarter earnings call.
He literally defined those as how the company defines success.
“That’s what going three-for-three looks like at McDonald’s,” he added.
Kempczinski made it clear that he sees value as the ultimate driver for experience, and while he did not say it, adding staff raises costs, which lowers the ability to offer more value.
People want checkout and ordering options
At Starbucks, which I visit multiple times a week, I order using the app, but enjoy having a human interaction in the store or drive-through. I’m greeted by Jordan, who’s often manning the microphone, have a short conversation, and feel good about my order.
It’s the right mix for me, while other people prefer ordering digitally and picking up without any human interaction, and some want the full in-store, in-person ordering experience.
Data from Canopy, a provider of remote monitoring and management (RMM) software for connected products, shows that consumers want more than just kiosks.
Fast-Food Friction: The 2025 Restaurant Tech Report is based on a national survey of Americans who eat at quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and highlights how technology influences customers’ experiences and brand loyalty.
Key findings include:
- Self-service kiosks often cause problems: 60% of customers reported using kiosks occasionally or often, and 80% say they’ve run into issues. The most aggravating problems include frozen screens, broken printers, and card readers that don’t work.
- Payments rarely work as expected: More than 75% reported having trouble paying across tap-to-pay, chip readers, and mobile wallets.
Aris Gysel, a McDonald’s franchise owner, admitted to HiTec.org that restaurants have experienced learning curve issues.
“The change in customer experience has been dramatic for our guests. It was also challenging for them to learn how to use new tools and understand the benefits of digitalization. Especially in the beginning, there was notable concern that we would replace our workers with machines. Quite a few guests refused to use our self-ordering kiosks,” they shared.
McDonald’s has fallen into the seductive trap of using technology to lower costs. The way it has done that, however, has led to a terrible customer experience.
It’s an attitude that comes with real risk.
“Seventy-nine percent of respondents would switch to a competitor after a single negative customer experience,” according to The State of Customer Experience 2026 report, based on a survey of 5,000 consumers in the U.S. and created by Verint.
That’s the risk McDonald’s faces. Yes, it offers value, but for me, that’s not enough, and the chain’s choices could lead to its customers opting to take their money elsewhere.
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