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 the voice-ordering technology at 10 of its locations in Chicago. McDonald's developed its drive-thru tech after acquiring Apprente, a startup focused on voice-based conversational technology in 2019, and later worked with IBM to scale automated ordering. This was only the beginning of the AI drive-thru era.

Checkers and Rally's teamed up with the AI company Presto to put a chatbot at all corporate-owned drive-thrus in the US in 2022, with the goal of selling more food and drinks to customers and improving order accuracy. The company also said the tech would "free up staff for more people-dependent areas of their business." Wendy's and Taco Bell followed suit. In 2023, Wendy's launched its "FreshAI" chatbot at one of its drive-thrus in Columbus, Ohio. The company worked with Google to develop an AI chatbot trained on the franchise's lingo, so it understands that a "milkshake" is a "Frosty" and that a "JBC" is a "junior bacon cheeseburger." Wendy's began expanding the technology months after its launch, saying that it got orders right without employee intervention 86 percent of the time.

Taco Bell had been testing its Voice AI drive-thru around the same time and later announced plans to expand the technology to hundreds of locations in the US by the end of 2024. Similar to other fast-food chains, Taco Bell pitched the idea as a way to reduce the task load for employees and slash drive-thru wait times. Other chains began trying out the technology as well, including Panera Bread, White Castle, Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Panda Express, and Popeyes.

How it started

The journey into AI-driven fast food began long before the first chatbot greeted a customer. Voice recognition technology has been in development for decades, but the specific application to fast-food ordering required overcoming challenges like noisy environments, diverse accents, and the need for speed. McDonald's acquisition of Apprente in 2019 signaled a serious commitment to this technology, and the partnership with IBM brought in enterprise-level expertise. The early test in Chicago showed promise, but also exposed limitations. Customers reported confusion when the AI misunderstood orders or failed to handle complex modifications.

Presto, the company behind Checkers and Rally's AI system, faced its own hurdles. In 2023, an SEC filing revealed that human workers in the Philippines stepped in for most orders taken by Presto's AI system. This undermined the claim of full automation and led to an SEC investigation. Last year, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Presto with misleading customers about the capabilities of its technology. This case highlighted the gap between marketing and reality in the AI industry.

How it's going

By now, many consumers have encountered at least one AI chatbot at a local fast-food chain. A reporter for The Verge spoke to one at Checkers, where a human quickly took over after being told one of the sandwiches ordered was out of stock. Even as companies continue to expand their use of AI drive-thrus, customers aren't exactly fans of it. A January 2025 survey conducted by YouGov found that 55 percent of Americans would prefer a human to take their order at the drive-thru, compared to 21 percent who had no preference, and 4 percent who would rather use an AI chatbot.

That generally lukewarm response may be having an impact on some franchises. McDonald's ended its partnership with IBM in 2024. One year later, Taco Bell chief digital officer Dane Mathews told The Wall Street Journal that it's reevaluating its deployment of the AI drive-thru after customers expressed their frustrations on social media and trolled the technology by ordering 18,000 water cups. Some people suggest making similarly outrageous orders or speaking in a different language just to bypass the tech and speak to a human worker. Customer frustration isn't the only snag AI drive-thrus are running into; their credibility is an issue, too. The Presto SEC case demonstrates that trust in these systems is fragile.

What happens next

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

Burger King, which is running a limited test of AI drive-thrus, announced in February that it's piloting an AI assistant, called "Patty," that lives inside employees' headsets. Workers can chat with the AI assistant if they need help preparing food, such as if they forget how many strips of bacon to put on a Texas Double Whopper. At the same time, Patty listens to employees to evaluate them for friendliness. That means tracking whether they say "welcome to Burger King," "please," and "thank you." Burger King also uses AI to inform managers when a machine is down for maintenance or if an item is out of stock, as well as to remove affected items from the digital menu board.

Taco Bell is experimenting with an AI-driven menu board, too. 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-car basis," Ranjith Roy, the chief financial officer of Taco Bell parent company Yum!, said during the company's most recent earnings call. Roy doesn't expand on this, but it seems like it could allow Taco Bell to adjust what's on the menu based on the customers pulling up. This personalization could include showing items that a customer has ordered before or suggesting complementary products based on time of day or weather.

Other uses of AI are picking up traction as well. Both Culver's and Zaxby's are working with a company called Berry AI to put camera timers at the drive-thru to capture data about traffic flow, service execution, and more. Berry AI says its tech shortens drive-thru service time by 20 to 40 percent. It seems like more fast-food chains might 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 notice, or a scale that measures your food bag before it's handed to you — at least until these companies perfect their chatbot's tech.

By the way

• It's not just fast-food chains that are looking into ways to use AI. Applebee's and IHOP are exploring a personalization system that could suggest or upsell menu items.
• A survey from the National Restaurant Association found that 26 percent of restaurant operators are now using AI, with most using the tools for marketing and administrative tasks.
• AI-powered shopping carts are becoming a thing, too. Some grocery stores, like Whole Foods, Wegmans, ShopRite, Kroger, and Sprouts, are trying out the tech in some locations.

The broader trend of AI in food service extends beyond drive-thrus. Chipotle has been testing robots in its kitchens to make tortilla chips and guacamole. White Castle has experimented with Flippy, a robot that handles frying. These systems are designed to augment human workers, not replace them entirely, but the push toward automation is clear. The technology is also being used for back-end tasks such as inventory management, demand forecasting, and employee scheduling. As AI becomes more sophisticated, its applications in the food industry will likely multiply.

However, there are significant barriers to adoption. Cost remains a major factor; implementing AI systems requires substantial upfront investment in hardware, software, and training. Privacy concerns also arise, especially with systems that monitor employee behavior like the Burger King Patty assistant. Labor unions and worker advocacy groups have raised alarms about surveillance and the potential for job displacement. Additionally, the customer experience can suffer when AI fails to understand nuanced orders or handle special requests.

The future of AI in fast food is not just about making the drive-thru faster—it's about creating a seamless, personalized experience. Companies are experimenting with voice recognition that can identify regular customers and predict their usual orders. Some are even looking at combining AI with mobile apps and loyalty programs to offer real-time promotions. But for now, the technology remains a work in progress. The most successful implementations will likely be those that blend AI efficiency with human oversight, allowing workers to focus on tasks where they add the most value.

Ultimately, the rise of AI chatbots at the drive-thru is just the beginning of a larger transformation in the fast-food industry. Over the next few years, we can expect to see more subtle integrations of AI into every aspect of the restaurant experience. From smart ovens that cook food to perfection to camera systems that monitor food quality, the possibilities are vast. But the lessons from the early chatbot failures—overpromising, underdelivering, and ignoring customer sentiment—will shape how these technologies evolve.

One of the most intriguing developments is the use of AI to handle the complexity of drive-thru environments. For instance, some systems now use natural language processing to understand orders even when customers speak in fragments or with heavy accents. Others leverage contextual awareness—recognizing that a customer ordering a "double cheeseburger" likely wants fries and a drink. These improvements are powered by large language models and real-time data analytics.

Another area of growth is AI-powered drive-thru performance optimization. Berry AI's camera timers are just one example; other companies offer analytics platforms that track every stage of the drive-thru process, from the moment a car arrives to the time it leaves. These platforms can identify bottlenecks, such as slow payment processing or delays in food preparation, and suggest improvements. Some even integrate with kitchen display systems to automatically adjust cooking priorities based on wait times.

Despite the challenges, the economic incentives for fast-food chains to adopt AI are compelling. Labor costs continue to rise, and the industry faces persistent shortages of workers. AI offers the promise of reduced labor expenses, improved consistency, and higher throughput. Taco Bell, for example, reported that its AI drive-thru increased order accuracy and reduced average wait times by several seconds per car. Over thousands of transactions, these gains translate into significant revenue increases.

Yet, the human touch remains a critical differentiator. The YouGov survey underscored that more than half of Americans still prefer human interaction when ordering food. Erika Adams, a fast-food industry analyst, notes that "while AI can handle standard orders efficiently, it struggles with the unexpected—a customer asking for a modification, a child's special request, or a complex substitution." This is why many chains are adopting hybrid models where AI handles simple orders and humans step in for complex ones.

Looking ahead, the next frontier for AI in fast food may be emotional intelligence. Researchers are exploring ways to detect customer mood through voice tone and word choice, allowing the system to adjust its responses accordingly. For example, if a customer sounds frustrated, the AI might offer a discount or transfer them to a human operator more quickly. Such capabilities could improve customer satisfaction and build loyalty.

In summary, the deployment of AI chatbots at drive-thrus is just the first step in a much broader trend. As technology improves and companies learn from early missteps, AI will likely become an invisible but powerful part of the fast-food experience. Whether customers embrace it or resist it will depend on how well these systems balance efficiency with empathy.

Source: The Verge News