Progressive Hipster Baristas on Their Way to Being Replaced by Robots

A variety of news outlets, including USA Today, are talking about ���Gordon,��� the nation���s first robotic barista, who began serving delicious cups of coffee on Monday.

That���s right ��� a robotic barista.

Henry Hu, CEO of Caf�� X Technologies, the company that built ���Gordon,��� says, ���A lot of us spend a lot of time in line waiting for coffee. And we decided to do something about it.���

After making their drink selections at the order stands, customers punch in their mobile numbers to receive a four-digit code that lets them pay, and they receive a text message when their orders are ready for pickup.

Although a natural concern for many is that the increasing trend toward an automated workforce will leave greater numbers of humans without jobs, there is an argument to be made that robots will not replace human workers as much as modify the nature of their responsibilities.

Assuming there is some truth to this, then the robotic barista is definitely a win-win; more jobs for humans in capacities other than servers, and, for customers, no more dealing with inept or smug (or both) counter help.

Also, no one to write stupid progressive stuff on the side of their coffee cups.

One question beckoned by the introduction of the robotic barista is if it will interfere with Starbucks��� plan to hire 10,000 refugees in the next five years.

Apparently not. According to the USA Today article, Starbucks says it has no plans to use the robots, citing the ���person-to-person connection between its service partners (reps) and customers.���

Lucky us.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large