Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Street
The Street
Patricia Battle

Taco Bell drive-thrus will become less human with latest change

Since the late 1940s, drive-thrus have grown to become a convenient staple in the restaurant industry across the nation.

For decades, consumers have enjoyed the option of ordering food at their favorite restaurant without leaving the comfort of their cars. While restaurant employees have historically handled drive-thru orders while maintaining face-to-face communication with customers, that may soon become a thing of the past.

Related: ​​White Castle makes a change McDonald's just abandoned

Taco Bell, which is owned by Yum Brands (YUM) , is the latest fast-food chain to hop on a startling new trend in the restaurant industry that is slowly cutting human connection out of the picture. The company just announced that it will be expanding voice artificial intelligence technology at hundreds of its restaurants in the U.S. by the end of 2024.

This means that drive-thru customers at these locations will be talking to a computer instead of an actual human being when they order their food.

“Tapping into AI gives us the ability to ease team members’ workloads, freeing them to focus on front-of-house hospitality,” said Dane Mathews, Taco Bell's chief digital and technology officer in a press release. “It also enables us to unlock new and meaningful ways to engage with our customers.”

Taco Bell claims that the voice AI technology has already been implemented in over 100 restaurants in the U.S. across 13 states. The company currently operates over 7,000 locations nationwide.

 A Taco Bell employee delivers an order to a customer at the drive-up window of the restaurant on March 31, 2020 in Hollywood, Florida. 

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

In the press release, Taco Bell states that the technology is “intuitive” and uses a “holistic approach that leverages feedback, data, and insights” to make the ordering process “seamless” for customers.

Consumers are skeptical of the technology 

The move from Taco Bell comes after it was revealed last month that McDonald’s has opted to remove AI technology at its drive-thrus. The decision from McDonald’s came after the technology at its locations received mixed reviews from customers, with some even taking to TikTok to show how the technology botched their orders.

Related: McDonald’s new $5 Meal Deal isn’t going as planned (so far ...)

For example, in a viral TikTok video, a woman revealed that when she tried to remove a Diet Coke from her McDonald’s order at a drive-thru that used the technology, it ended up replacing the item with nine sweet teas, which is not what she asked for.

In a recent interview with CNN, Yum Brands Chief Innovation Officer Lawrence Kim claimed that the technology won’t have similar speech recognition issues.

“We are confident that we’ve approached this the right way,” Kim said in the interview.


More food and dining:


He also said that after two years of testing and improving the technology, it can accurately take orders and cut drive-thru wait times.

Taco Bell's latest change follows other restaurant chains such as White Castle and KFC, which have both recently expanded AI at their drive-thrus. As restaurants continue to expand their use of the technology, many consumers are struggling to welcome it with open arms.

According to a recent survey from the National Restaurant Association, 16% of restaurant operators plan to invest in AI, including voice recognition, in 2024. The survey also found that only 33% of fast-food customers are open to ordering food by talking to an AI-generated persona on a video screen at a limited-service restaurant.

Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.