Restaurants in New York are using a service that lets them employ virtual cashiers in place of local workers to interact with customers via Zoom. Customers order their food from a virtual cashier on a flat-screen monitor. The move has been causing quite a stir on the food scene, with an increasing number of restaurants deciding to use it as a way to lower costs. The virtual cashiers are typically located in Southeast Asia, where the minimum wage is unimaginably low. In the Philippines, for example, workers are paid an average of $187 a month. By comparison, New York City’s minimum wage earners earn an average of $2,560 a month. There are several reasons why Zoom cashiers are problematic for restaurants. Notwithstanding the notion of slave labor, virtual cashiers take jobs away from local workers. In addition, the technology is unreliable because Zoom doesn’t always have the most stable connection, and virtual cashiers are sometimes inexperienced with the menu. Tipping, however, is shared between virtual cashiers and on-site cooks and managers. Restaurants across Manhattan, Queens, Jersey City, and Long Island City are now embracing the new trend, led by companies like Happy Cashier. Only time will tell if this trend will continue to grow.
