How it started

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. Other chains quickly followed suit. 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 joined the movement soon after. 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, claiming it got orders right without employee intervention 86 percent of the time. Taco Bell began 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 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’s going

By now, many consumers have encountered at least one AI chatbot at a local fast-food chain. The experience, however, has been mixed. 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 only 4 percent who would rather use an AI chatbot. That generally lukewarm response has had tangible consequences. McDonald’s ended its partnership with IBM in 2024 after testing the AI system for about three years. 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. Last year, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Presto — the company that powers the AI drive-thrus at Checkers, Rally’s, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, and now, Dairy Queen — with misleading customers about the capabilities of its technology. In 2023, an SEC filing revealed that human workers in the Philippines stepped in for most orders taken by Presto’s AI system. This raised questions about the transparency and reliability of these AI solutions. Despite these setbacks, many chains continue to push forward with AI, albeit with adjustments and expansions beyond the drive-thru window.

What happens next

Fast-food chains are taking AI beyond the drive-thru. McDonald’s, according to The Wall Street Journal, is giving AI-powered drive-thrus a second chance, but it's also exploring other ways to utilize the technology. This includes a system that predicts when its equipment — like its notoriously 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, alerting employees if something is missing, potentially helping workers remember to pack a 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 Patty 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. But instead of just removing items, the technology will “dynamically change the layout, content, and visuals on a car-by-car basis,” according to Ranjith Roy, chief financial officer of Taco Bell parent company Yum!. Other uses of AI are picking up traction as well. Both Culver’s and Zaxbys 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 claims its tech shortens drive-thru service time by 20 to 40 percent. It seems that 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 customers don’t notice, or a scale that measures a food bag before it’s handed over. This gradual approach may help these companies perfect their chatbot technology before rolling it out more broadly.

By the way

• It’s not just fast-food chains that are looking into ways to use AI. Applebee’s and IHOP are exploring personalization systems that could suggest or upsell menu items based on customer preferences.
• 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.
• Some restaurants, like Chipotle, are putting robots inside their kitchens to automate food preparation, from chopping vegetables to assembling bowls. This trend is likely to expand as labor costs rise and technology improves.
• In Japan, convenience store robots are actually operated by humans in the Philippines, raising ethical and practical questions about remote-controlled automation.

As AI continues to seep into every corner of the fast-food experience, the industry is clearly at a crossroads. The technology holds promise for efficiency and cost savings, but it must also address customer desires for human interaction and trust. The coming years will reveal whether AI becomes a staple of the drive-thru or remains a novelty that consumers resist.

Source: The Verge News