The Future of Drive-Thrus: Chatbots Are Only the Start

The fast-food industry’s experiment with AI-powered ordering systems has evolved significantly since McDonald’s first introduced an automated voice assistant at a handful of Chicago drive-thrus in 2021. What began as a niche trial has expanded into a broader push to reshape the customer experience, but the road has been bumpy. Many chains are now rethinking their strategies, moving beyond simple chatbots into more subtle and integrated forms of artificial intelligence.

McDonald’s initially led the charge after acquiring the voice-tech startup Apprente in 2019, later partnering with IBM to scale its automated ordering. By 2022, Checkers and Rally’s had teamed up with Presto to deploy AI at all corporate-owned locations, aiming to boost sales and order accuracy while freeing employees for other tasks. Wendy’s launched its “FreshAI” chatbot in Columbus, Ohio, in 2023, training it on brand-specific lingo like “Frosty” for milkshakes and “JBC” for a junior bacon cheeseburger. The company reported an 86 percent success rate for orders taken without human help and began expanding the system soon after.

Taco Bell tested its Voice AI drive-thru around the same time, planning to roll it out to hundreds of U. S. locations by the end of 2024. Other chains, including Panera Bread, White Castle, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, Panda Express, and Popeyes, also experimented with the technology. The pitch was consistent: reduce employee workload and shorten wait times.

Yet customer reception has been tepid at best. A January 2025 YouGov survey found that 55 percent of Americans prefer a human to take their drive-thru order, while only 4 percent actively want an AI chatbot. That sentiment may have influenced McDonald’s decision to end its IBM partnership in 2024. Taco Bell’s chief digital officer, Dane Mathews, told The Wall Street Journal that the company is reevaluating its AI deployment after customers trolled the system by ordering 18,000 water cups and venting frustrations on social media. Some customers have even resorted to speaking in different languages to bypass the tech and reach a human worker.

Beyond customer dissatisfaction, credibility issues have emerged. Last year, the SEC charged Presto , the company behind AI systems at Checkers, Rally’s, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, and Dairy Queen , with misleading customers about its technology’s capabilities. A 2023 SEC filing revealed that human workers in the Philippines were actually handling most orders taken by Presto’s AI.

Despite these setbacks, fast-food chains are not abandoning AI. Instead, they are pushing it into less visible roles. While The Wall Street Journal reports that McDonald’s is giving AI-powered drive-thrus a second chance, the company is also exploring predictive maintenance for its notoriously unreliable ice cream machines. It is testing AI-powered scales that compare target and actual order weights, alerting staff if fries are missing from a bag.

Burger King is piloting an AI assistant called “Patty” that lives inside employee headsets. Workers can ask Patty for help preparing food , like how many bacon strips go on a Texas Double Whopper , while the system also listens for friendliness markers such as “welcome,” “please,” and “thank you.” Patty informs managers when equipment is down or items are out of stock, automatically removing them from digital menu boards.

Taco Bell is experimenting with an AI-driven menu board that can “dynamically change the layout, content, and visuals on a car-by-car basis,” according to Ranjith Roy, chief financial officer of parent company Yum!. While Roy did not elaborate, the system could tailor menu offerings based on who is pulling up.

Other chains are adopting AI for backend operations. Culver’s and Zaxbys are working with Berry AI to install camera timers at drive-thrus that capture data on traffic flow and service execution. Berry AI claims its technology reduces drive-thru service times by 20 to 40 percent.

The trend points toward subtler AI integration , menu changes that go unnoticed, scales that check your food bag before it is handed over, and systems that predict equipment failures. For now, the chatbot at the window remains a work in progress.