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In 2021, McDonald’s Became one of the first major fast food chains. To greet customers with an AI chatbot at the drive-thru. It started small, deploying voice-ordering technology at 10 of its locations in Chicago. McDonald’s then developed its own drive-thru tech. Getting an ApprenticeIn 2019, a startup focused on voice-based, conversational technology, and Later worked with IBM. To scale the automated order.

This was just the beginning of the AI ​​drive-thru. Checkers and releases Worked with AI company Presto. To deploy a chatbot at all corporate-owned drive-throughs in the U.S. by 2022, with the goal of driving more food sales to customers and improving order accuracy. The company also said the tech will “free up staff for more people-dependent areas of its business.”

Wendy’s and Taco Bell followed suit. In 2023, Wendy’s launched its “FreshAI” chatbot at one of its drive-throughs in Columbus, Ohio in 2023. The company worked with Google to develop an AI chatbot trained on the franchise’s lingo, so it understands a “Milkshake” is a “Frosty” and it’s a “Jeconburg.” Wendy’s began rolling out the technology months after its launch, saying it got orders 86 percent of the time without employee intervention.

Taco Bell was testing its Voice AI drive-thru at the same time and later announced plans to roll out the technology to hundreds of locations in the U.S. by the end of 2024. Like other fast food chains, Taco Bell came up with the idea to reduce the task load for employees and reduce wait times at the drive-thru. Other chains also began experimenting with the technology, including Panera BreadThe White Castle Carl Jr., of Hardy, Panda Express, And The papayas.

By now, you’ve likely encountered at least one AI chatbot at one of your local fast food chains. I spoke to one at Checkers, where a man quickly took over when I was told that one of the sandwiches I tried to order was out of stock. Even as companies ramp up their use of AI drives, consumers aren’t exactly fans.

Oh January 2025 survey by YouGov It found that 55 percent of Americans would prefer to pick up their order through a drive-thru, compared to 21 percent who had no preference, and 4 percent who would prefer to use an AI chatbot. This generally light response may affect some franchisees, such as McDonald’s ending its partnership with IBM in 2024. A year later, Taco Bell Chief Digital Officer Dan Matthews said. The Wall Street Journal It is re-evaluating its deployment of AI drive-thru after customers took to social media to express their frustration and troll the technology. 18,000 are ordering water cups.. Some people suggest making Likewise provocative Command or speak in one Different language Just to bypass the technology and talk to a human worker.

Customer frustration isn’t the only obstacle driving AI. Their reputation is also an issue. Last year, the Securities and Exchange Commission Charged Presto — the company that powers AI drives in Checkers, Reels, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, and now Dairy Queen — while misleading consumers about its technology’s capabilities. In 2023, an SEC filing revealed that human workers in the Philippines stepped in for the majority of orders taken by Presto’s AI system.

Fast food chains are taking AI beyond the drive-thru. Although The Wall Street Journal Reports While McDonald’s is giving the AI-powered drive-thru a second chance, it’s also exploring other ways to use the technology, including a system that predicts when its equipment (like the seemingly always-out ice cream machine) is likely to break. The company is also using AI powered scales To compare an order’s target weight to its actual weight, and then alert employees if something is missing, possibly remember workers to pack your to-go bag with fries.

Burger King, which has been running a limited test of AI drive-throughs, announced in February that it was piloting an AI assistant, called “Patty,” that lives inside employees’ headsets. Workers can interact with the AI ​​assistant if they need help preparing food, such as if they forget how many strips of bacon to put on the Texas Double Hopper. At the same time, Patty listens to the employees to gauge their friendliness. This means tracking whether they say “Welcome to Burger King,” “Please,” and “Thank you.” Burger King also uses AI to notify managers when a machine is down for maintenance or an item runs out, as well as to remove affected items from digital menu boards.

There is Taco Bell. Also experimenting with AI powered menu board. But instead of just using AI to remove items from the menu, it will use the technology to “dynamically change the layout, content and visuals on a car-by-carry basis,” Taco Bell parent company Yum’s chief financial officer Ranjit Roy said during the company. Most recent earnings call. Roy doesn’t expand on that, but it sounds like it could allow Taco Bell to adjust what’s on the menu that’s drawing in customers.

Other uses of AI are also gaining traction. both Of clover And Zaxby’s Berry is working with a company called AI to install camera timers at drive-throughs to capture data about traffic flow, service completion and more. Berry AI says its tech cuts drive-through service times by 20 to 40 percent. It looks like more fast-food chains may start deploying AI tech that’s less in-your-face than an AI chatbot at the drive-thru window, whether it’s menu changes you don’t see, or a scale that measures your lunch bag before it’s handed to you — at least until these companies perfect their chatbot tech.