Revolutionizing QSRs: AI-Powered Drive-Throughs Shape the Future

The quick service restaurant (QSR) industry is on the verge of drive-thru technology disruption that will ultimately deliver increased satisfaction for all parties: customers, delivery drivers, and restaurants. Artificial intelligence (AI) is driving that revolution.

How to Take a Good Idea and Make It Better

In QSR industry, convenience is number one. Although the entire restaurant model is built around convenience, many consumers find the quickest and easiest place to engage is through the drive-through window. The drive-through also now services B2B as well as B2C customers, streamlining operations when delivery drivers arrive to pick up orders. Overall, about 70% of all orders are delivered at the drive-through window in the U.S., and Canada and EMEA also see significant drive-through business, with 50% and 30% of orders, respectively, fulfilled there.

As drive-throughs continue to be the primary point of interaction at QSR locations, the first step for increasing efficiencies at the drive-thru is what we refer to as an “expansion of the lane.” Industry has been reinventing the drive-thru lane for years with procedures such as multiple lanes, Y-merges, tandem lanes and even multiple order collection points. This has done a good job of giving increased visibility to more orders, but with today’s labor concerns it has created a bottleneck of orders, slowing down total speed-of-service. The best way to combat this challenge is by expanding the lane via self-service. With a drive-up or walk-up touchscreen kiosk, operators have been able to free up a labor position to aid in order fulfillment, giving an opportunity to serve more orders with the same amount of labor.

Adding to that, restaurants are also exploring AI solutions to engage customers and increase drive-through efficiency. White Castle is a trailblazer in this area, deploying AI-powered drive-through technology at 30% of its 350 locations this year. The chain had promising results during testing, with a 90% completion rate and orders processed in about 60 seconds, improvements over the metrics the company tracked when staff handled drive-through orders.

The company also reports that the AI-powered system benefits the company with consistent upselling and allows employees to focus on order accuracy and customer satisfaction, which drives loyalty. White Castle also reports that customers appreciate that they’ve invested in technology that helps provide better service – and they enjoy using it.

SoundHound, the software partner who developed the White Castle solution, conducted a survey that found 60% of consumers are comfortable using automated voice assistants in the drive-through. White Castle also reports evidence that its AI-powered drive-through solution has the “wow factor,” watching customers' faces light up when they use the system and see an accurate order on the screen within seconds.

AI-powered drive-through solutions can also increase employee satisfaction, making the multitasking role of working the drive-through window a little easier. Additionally, because they integrate with the restaurant management system, they can solve the common problem of balancing food prep for customers in the dining room with orders for drive-through and online ordering customers. AI can coordinate workloads, so all customers receive their orders with minimal wait times and make life easier for the kitchen staff. QSRs can also configure their systems to feature quick-to-prepare items when they’re busy to help their kitchen staff keep up – or feature higher-margin and upsell items to boost revenues when sales are a little slower.

The success that pioneers have seen with AI-powered drive-through systems has industry leaders, including Wendy’s and McDonald’s, conducting pilots of their own, with promising results. The Wendy’s system is achieving 99% accuracy when backed by staff as necessary. Tests are also confirming QSRs will benefit from faster, consistent upselling, and loyalty program integration – without a bigger burden on staff.

How AI is Elevating the Drive-Through

Innovators are using AI to enhance and optimize the drive-through in several ways:

• AI-Powered Ordering

  As labor costs increase, restaurants can control their budgets by deploying intelligent voice-enabled chatbots to take orders. The best restaurant drive-through systems have multiple language options and an intelligent process for escalating calls to a staff member if the chatbot can’t confirm exactly what the customer wants.

  Additionally, AI-powered ordering can reduce wait times in the drive-through lane, which a Presto Pulse survey found is a priority for 70% of consumers. With an intelligent ordering system, customers never have to wait—chatbots can serve multiple customers at once to keep lines moving and immediately communicate orders to food prep areas.

• Machine Vision

  The drive-through has largely served customers anonymously, creating a barrier to customer engagement. Machine vision can give QSRs a way to recognize drive-through customers who opt in to receive rewards or discounts in exchange for data. Machine vision can allow the restaurant to use a license plate or other images to associate loyalty accounts, promotions, or even payment data with the customer.

  Recognizing customers as they pull up to the drive-through can also help restaurants increase revenues. An AI-powered ordering system can quickly make personalized upsell offers based on customer history. These solutions have the potential to increase average orders like other self-ordering solutions, which can raise revenues by up to 38%.

• Drive-Up Self-Service

  Operators have solved the problem of long lines inside the QSR with touchscreen ordering systems. These self-service kiosks allow customers to skip the line waiting for an employee at the counter and place orders independently. Outdoor self-service solutions powered by AI allow a restaurant to expand that functionality to drive-through customers. Furthermore, restaurants don’t have to construct new lanes to expand drive-through service. QSRs can add intelligent touchscreen order points in parking areas and deliver orders to vehicles, much like curbside pickup operations.

• Multimodal Interfaces

  A restaurant drive-through system with a multimodal interface that integrates voice, visuals, and touch gives customers more control of their ordering experiences. Using a voice-enabled menu board, customers can quickly browse options, highlighted with eye-catching graphics and nutrition information, and input information via voice or touch. It elevates customer experiences while also increasing accuracy and decreasing employees’ workloads.

Join the Revolution

Thanks to technological innovations, the QSR drive-through is evolving to take the convenience it offers to an even higher level. AI makes drive-through ordering quicker and more accurate and can increase revenues with consistent upselling. It also enables an innovative self-service option that builds customer loyalty – and will become a competitive differentiator as QSRs digitally transform their operations. Delight your customers and streamline operations by making AI a part of your team.

To learn about touchscreen and digital signage hardware designed to optimally meet the needs of AI-powered drive-through use cases, contact us.