alt Hacker News> Those places where you place your order, pay through something like a vending machine at the entrance of the place. The order goes back to the kitchen and, after you've sat down and waited a short time, your order is up.
I know those places but at this point the USA seems full of them, or at least LA/SF. They aren't the same style as the Japanese ones but there are tons of places in California where you can walk in and order from a touchscreen and they just call your number when your order is ready.
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Some Japanese restaurants are super tiny & ordering machines make it easier to use the space more efficiently. In some cases the machine is installed from the outside - you select what you want and get a ticket or two. If you get two then you are IIRc supposed to give one to the staff & they will start processing your order (eg. the machine is not always connected to a terminal inside).
Doing it like this you save space inside, don't have to handle dirty cash (less of an issue with electronic payments) and can concentrate on cooking without interruptions.
I saw that first at McDonald's. Also just about any place that has an app or website to order is effectively like that.
In the McDonald's University outlet in Chicago you order on the app or touchscreen and your food ends up in a slot by the registers.