Burger King is launching an AI chatbot that will be installed in headsets used by employees. The voice-enabled chatbot, called “Patty,” is part of the comprehensive BK Assistant platform and not only helps employees prepare meals, but also evaluates the “friendliness” of customer interactions.
Thibault Roux, Burger King’s chief digital officer, said: The Verge The company says it gathered information from franchisees and guests on how to measure friendliness, and as a result, the fast food chain trained its AI system to recognize specific words and phrases such as “Welcome to Burger King,” “Please,” and “Thank you.” Managers can ask the AI assistant how their location is performing on friendliness. “This is all meant to be a coaching tool,” Lu said, adding that the company is also “iterating” on capturing the tone of the conversation.
Powered by OpenAI, Patty serves as the “voice” of the BK Assistant platform, which integrates data across drive-thru conversations, kitchen equipment, inventory, and other areas of the Burger King business. Employees can ask Patty questions like how many strips of bacon to put on a Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper or how to clean the shake machine.
Integrated with new cloud POS systems, the AI assistant also alerts managers when machines are down for maintenance or products are out of stock. “Within 15 minutes, the entire ecosystem removes that item from inventory. Whether you walk into a restaurant to order at a kiosk or go to the drive-thru, your digital menu board will update,” Lu says.
Burger King may have a chatbot built into its employees’ headsets, but the brand doesn’t seem ready to widely deploy AI drive-thrus just yet — something chains like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell are trying. “We’re tinkering with it and playing with it, but it’s still a risky gamble,” Lu says. “Not all guests will be prepared for this,” he said, adding that the company is currently testing AI drive-thru technology in less than 100 restaurants.
Burger King plans to deploy the BK Assistant web and app platform in all of its U.S. restaurants by the end of 2026, and Patty is being piloted in 500 restaurants.
