Automated drive-thrus raise privacy concerns

Although the drive-through lane has been part of the (fast food) restaurant experience for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic spurred a rapid set of innovations that signal further future changes. McDonald's has deployed a number of technology-enhanced upgrades, including pre-selecting items anticipate an order before a customer arrives at the drive-through window, based on data from their past orders. Future changes include customers interact with an avatar rather than a real person, and a robotic teller could deliver their order at the pickup window. These innovations are likely to be picked up by other retailers that traditionally didn't offer drive-thru, and points towards even more possible innovations as automated drive-thru restaurants interact with customers' own automated vehicles in the future.

But a backlash is inevitable, and the chain is already being sued for violating Illinois consumer protection laws. This points towards a potential spread of actions against retailers like Amazon Go who track consumers' every move.