No, Puzder doesn’t intend to ‘take humans out of the fast food equation,’ as Fortune had it. His remark about machines being so pliable was part of a longer exchange about the upsides and downsides of automation, the second part of which didn’t get reported.
“I never mentioned robots… we could never take out all the front-line employees. You have to have people behind the counter because [customers] are used to that and people are more comfortable with it.” Interview with the Los Angeles Times – March 30, 2016