A claim circulating on Facebook, X, and other social media platforms states that McDonald’s has opened what is described as the world’s first fully automated restaurant in Texas, where robots reportedly handle orders, food preparation, and service without human workers. However, available evidence shows that this claim is partly false.
Social Media Posts
The viral posts typically claim that McDonald’s has unveiled a restaurant in Texas with no cashiers, no cooks, and no human interaction, asserting that robots handle everything from ordering to cooking.
Fact Check
What the Texas McDonald’s Actually Is
The restaurant featured in viral posts is a McDonald’s test location in Fort Worth, Texas, which opened in late 2022. According to McDonald’s official corporate communications, this site was designed to test automation focused on customer ordering and order pickup, not to eliminate human workers entirely. Customers place orders through the McDonald’s mobile app, self-service kiosks, or drive-thru, and food is delivered to designated pickup points via conveyor belts. The location does not have dine-in seating and was intentionally designed to reduce face-to-face customer interactions. Official McDonald’s explanation can be read here.
According to McDonald’s official statements, the Fort Worth location is not fully automated. Human employees work inside the restaurant, particularly in the kitchen, where they prepare, cook, assemble, and package food. Media outlets that visited or reviewed the site reported that people are responsible for cooking burgers, frying items, managing ingredients, and overseeing operations.
McDonald’s described the location as an experiment in streamlining workflows and improving order accuracy. The company stated that automation is intended to support employees rather than replace them entirely, allowing staff to focus on speed, accuracy, and food quality rather than front-counter transactions. This directly contradicts claims that robots cook Big Macs or that no humans are involved in operations. (Source)
Is This the “World’s First” Automated McDonald’s?
The claim that this is the “world’s first” fully automated McDonald’s is also incorrect. Similar automation features, such as self-ordering kiosks, app-based ordering, and limited conveyor systems, have been tested in McDonald’s locations and other fast-food chains in multiple countries for years. What makes the Fort Worth site distinctive is its focus on minimizing customer-facing roles, not the elimination of staff altogether. It is also a single test site, not a new global or national rollout.
Texas Standard, which reported on the location shortly after it opened, confirmed that while the restaurant reduces direct interaction with customers, it still relies on a staffed kitchen behind the scenes. Moreover, te Fort Worth McDonald’s has been operating since late 2022 or early 2023. No evidence from McDonald’s corporate announcements, franchising updates, or credible media reporting indicates the opening of a new, fully automated, zero-staff McDonald’s location in Texas or elsewhere in 2025.
Conclusion
The claim that McDonald’s has opened a fully automated, robot-run restaurant in Texas with no human workers is partly false. While McDonald’s does operate a highly automated test location in Fort Worth, Texas, the restaurant is not fully automated and does not operate without human staff. Human workers remain responsible for food preparation, cooking, and overall operations.
Title:McDonald’s Has Not Opened a Fully Automated Restaurant in Texas Without Human Workers
Fact Check By: Pranpreeya PResult: Partly False
