Taco Bell is rolling out AI drive thru in hundreds of stores

AI is coming to the drive-thru, as Taco Bell plans to roll out a voice-automated chatbot into hundreds of locations by the end of the year.

Parent company Yum! Brands has announced the adoption of technology which could bring significant changes to the fast food and hospitality industry.

Yum! Brands owns other popular businesses like KFC, Pizza Hut, and the Habit Burger Grill. The fast food cooperation says it aspires to “implement voice AI technology in drive-thrus at its brands globally in the future.”

The voice AI technology will be deployed in more than 100 Taco Bell drive-thrus across 13 states. However it isn’t yet known which areas will be the first to receive it, nor if the tool will be replacing human workers.

The team says this rollout has been “designed to enhance back-of-house operations for team members and elevate the order experience for consumers.”

The company is hoping the technology will ease the “task load for team members,” improve order accuracy and provide “a consistent, friendly experience” while reducing wait times.

In the press release, it’s explained how testing and refining have taken place over the last two years with a joint collaborative approach between the parent company and Taco Bell.

They say input has been incorporated from franchisees, so the tool can benefit the full team and its customers.

Yum! Brands KFC has started testing AI in Australia

Dane Mathews, the Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Taco Bell said: “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.”

The parent company’s other brand, KFC, is also getting the AI treatment as five restaurants in Australia are testing the technology. This is said to have been positively received by customers and restaurant team members so far.

Image Credit: Via Yum! Brands Facebook page

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