GEE, WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING? Minimum-wage offensive could speed arrival of robot-powered restaurants.

Many chains are already at work looking for ingenious ways to take humans out of the picture, threatening workers in an industry that employs 2.4 million wait staffers, nearly 3 million cooks and food preparers and many of the nation’s 3.3 million cashiers. . . .

The avalanche of rising costs is why franchisers are aggressively looking for technology that can allow them to produce more food faster with higher quality and lower waste. Dave Brewer is chief operating officer with Middleby Corp., which owns dozens of kitchen equipment brands, and is constantly developing new ways to optimize performance and minimize cost.

Remember, the campaign to raise the minimum wage isn’t being pushed for the benefit of the working class. It’s being pushed for the benefit of the political class.