Yo Quiero AI? Taco Bell set to roll out automated drive-thru ordering at many restaurants

Taco Bell aims to complete its expansion by the end of the year.

Taco Bell is set to add AI drive-thrus at many of its restaurants. it already has the system at eateries in 13 states. (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Taco Bell is looking to roll out artificial technology at hundreds of drive-thrus across the country, parent company Yum! Brands announced Wednesday.

Yum! Brands, which currently operates voice AI technology in over 100 Taco Bell drive-thrus across 13 states, aims to complete its expansion by the end of the year. The company said the rollout “is designed to enhance back-of-house operations for team members and elevate the order experience for consumers.”

The potential benefits, the company says, include easier workdays for employees, improved order accuracy, more consistent, friendly experience, reduced wait times and higher profit growth.

“Innovation is ingrained in our DNA at Taco Bell, and we view Voice AI as a means to improve the team member and consumer experiences. Tapping into AI gives us the ability to ease team members’ workloads, freeing them to focus on front-of-house hospitality. It also enables us to unlock new and meaningful ways to engage with our customers,” said Dane Mathews, Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Taco Bell.

Taco Bell is set to add AI drive-thrus at many of its restaurants. It already has the system at eateries in 13 states. (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Other fast food chains, including White Castle and Carl’s Jr, have used artificial technology, claiming it may reduce wait times and improve order efficiency.

Last year, Wendy’s partnered with Google Cloud to develop an AI drive-thru order system, following similar deals made by Panda Express and Taco John’s.

However, the venture into AI has met challenges in the restaurant industry. Last month, McDonald’s discontinued its partnership with IBM, which had been working with the chain to develop an AI-driven order taker, amid viral videos showing wildly inaccurate orders taken at its drive-thrus. The burger franchise also shut down its AI tests at more than 100 restaurants.

So far, Yum! Brands has indicated its latest effort will dodge these hurdles. The company stated: “With over two years of fine tuning and testing the drive-thru Voice AI technology, we’re confident in its effectiveness in optimizing operations and enhancing customer satisfaction.”

The company is also testing its voice AI technology at five KFC restaurants in Australia and aims to expand its voice AI services worldwide.