Wendy’s Uses AI-Powered Chatbots for Drive-Thru Orders

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(TNS) – Wendy’s will next month become the latest fast-food chain to adopt the technology, starting testing artificial intelligence-powered chatbots that can converse with customers and take orders at drive-thru.

Leveraging Google Cloud’s AI software, the system is as natural as speaking to an employee, with the ability to understand voices and answer frequently asked questions, the company said.

Wendy’s is one of several restaurants struggling with staff shortages that are deploying AI and automation to improve customer service. Additionally, drive-thru popularity has skyrocketed during the pandemic, with the chain saying 80% of customers prefer to order through drive-thru.

CEO Todd Penegal said in a statement that this “creates a huge opportunity to deliver a truly differentiated, faster and smoother experience for our customers.”

Since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT last year, there has been growing interest in AI chatbots from investors and the general public. This has kicked off a race among tech giants, including Google’s parent company Alphabet, to push new chatbot technology into the business world.

Opinions vary wildly about what AI means for workers and businesses, from massive disruption to subtle changes. Presto Automation, which provides an AI ordering platform for restaurants, believes the technology will disrupt the industry.

“I think in three years there will be no drive-thru with humans taking orders,” Presto chairman and interim CEO Krishna Gupta told Bloomberg TV last week.

Wendy’s, which is deploying chatbots in its retail stores near Columbus, Ohio, said it hopes to reduce miscommunication by automating processes. The company declined to comment on how the technology will alleviate the need for employees, but the system streamlines the ordering process and allows employees to focus on serving food quickly. said there was a need.

Wendy’s lags behind its peers in terms of latency and accuracy, so using AI to take orders could be profitable, according to data provider InTouch Insight. The company also embarked on a restructuring plan to cut costs and aims to accelerate growth this year. The chain will release first-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Competitors such as McDonald’s and Chipotle have beaten Wall Street’s expectations in recent months, suggesting that consumers are still eating out.

Wendy’s Chief Information Officer Kevin Basconi said the test site had restaurant employees monitoring the drive-thru to make sure the AI could handle all requests and to ensure that the AI could handle all requests, in case a customer asked for a human conversation. to see if you can handle it.

The chatbot has a female voice and can understand requested items that are not worded exactly as they appear in the menu. Basconi said you’ll find a “big milkshake” to be the equivalent of the chain’s “big frosty.”

After the AI confirms the order on a screen that the customer can see, the ticket is delivered to the kitchen in the same way that an employee would speak to a diner.

Wendy’s doesn’t expect chatbots to be perfect. According to Intouch Insight, he had a 79% order accuracy for 2022. Our initial goal for the AI of this chain is to improve this 85% of him and put him on par with his competitors.

With the help of Rachel Metz.

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