I’m going to agree with the observation that “make food production more efficient by making only one type of food” isn’t a likely winner for restaurants.
If you’re really trying to optimize for the economic efficiency with which food is produced, you don’t make hot fresh-cooked food in the first place; you make food on assembly lines and package it. At which point the incremental cost of using preservation techniques and selling it on supermarket shelves is minimal- and all you’re sacrificing is flavor and the health of the food… and people who are trying to optimize for ‘cheapness’ in their food tend to not care about that.
This is not a likable conclusion, perhaps. But it’s definitely the one supported by the evidence of what market economies with plenty of access to information for all parties actually DO.
Now… yes, in an imaginary world where handwavium drone-robots make it possible to deliver anything you want for free and never mind the logistical implausibilities (i.e. that of Yudkowsky’s “dath ilan”), a situation where you order three different foods from three different vendors who all specialize in that exact food might work.*
In a world where you have to go TO the location of your food, or where there is ANY significant extra cost associated with making three smaller transactions over one big one, it’s a non-starter.
*Although even then you still need room for customization- a pizza place that literally refuses to make pizzas with more than one topping combination will usually lose out to a pizza place that lets you pick your toppings.
Now… yes, in an imaginary world where handwavium drone-robots make it possible to deliver anything you want for free and never mind the logistical implausibilities
Drones aren’t very implausible tech. Amazon is already in field trials to deliever packages via drones.
*Although even then you still need room for customization- a pizza place that literally refuses to make pizzas with more than one topping combination will usually lose out to a pizza place that lets you pick your toppings.
It’s not that simple. At the highest price points restaurants don’t let you order your toppings. The extend to which people value customization has a lot to do with the culture.
I’m going to agree with the observation that “make food production more efficient by making only one type of food” isn’t a likely winner for restaurants.
If you’re really trying to optimize for the economic efficiency with which food is produced, you don’t make hot fresh-cooked food in the first place; you make food on assembly lines and package it. At which point the incremental cost of using preservation techniques and selling it on supermarket shelves is minimal- and all you’re sacrificing is flavor and the health of the food… and people who are trying to optimize for ‘cheapness’ in their food tend to not care about that.
This is not a likable conclusion, perhaps. But it’s definitely the one supported by the evidence of what market economies with plenty of access to information for all parties actually DO.
Now… yes, in an imaginary world where handwavium drone-robots make it possible to deliver anything you want for free and never mind the logistical implausibilities (i.e. that of Yudkowsky’s “dath ilan”), a situation where you order three different foods from three different vendors who all specialize in that exact food might work.*
In a world where you have to go TO the location of your food, or where there is ANY significant extra cost associated with making three smaller transactions over one big one, it’s a non-starter.
*Although even then you still need room for customization- a pizza place that literally refuses to make pizzas with more than one topping combination will usually lose out to a pizza place that lets you pick your toppings.
Drones aren’t very implausible tech. Amazon is already in field trials to deliever packages via drones.
It’s not that simple. At the highest price points restaurants don’t let you order your toppings. The extend to which people value customization has a lot to do with the culture.