Beloved burger chain Shake Shack recently announced plans to use automated kiosks in lieu of employees to take orders at its new Astor Place location in New York.
The news rather awkwardly coincided with the announcement that the chain's founder, Danny Meyer, has raised $200 million in private equity to invest in companies with a strong focus on employees and communities.
"Automation at Shake Shack has nothing to do with the fund," said Meyer during a phone interview. "As soon as Shake Shack became public [in 2015], it stopped having anything to do with Union Square Hospitality Group."