How Drive Thru AI Cut Order Times by 47% at Major Chains

July 10, 2025

Major fast food chains are using Drive-Thru AI to speed up service, reducing order times by 47% while improving accuracy and overall customer satisfaction.

Drive thru AI is revolutionizing fast food service times across major restaurant chains. At Wendy’s, AI-enabled drive-thru ordering reduced service times by 22 seconds compared to regional averages. This significant improvement comes when the average customer typically spends 5 minutes and 29 seconds in a traditional drive-through.

Meanwhile, companies like Wendy’s, with over 7,000 restaurants globally, are expanding their AI initiatives to streamline operations. Additionally, these AI technologies not only reduce wait times but also improve order accuracy and can cut operational costs by up to 50% in fast-food restaurants. The impact of drive thru voice AI extends beyond just speed – it’s reshaping the competitive landscape of casual dining, with industry experts noting that AI adoption will likely determine which restaurants emerge as winners in 2025.

How Major Chains Are Using Drive-Thru AI Today

Fast food giants across the globe are racing to implement drive thru AI technology, though with varying approaches and results. These implementations offer a glimpse into the future of automated customer service in the quick-service restaurant industry.

Wendy’s Drive-Thru AI with Google Cloud

Wendy’s partnership with Google Cloud began with a pilot program at a company-owned restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. Following positive results, CEO Kirk Tanner announced plans to deploy voice-enabled AI at up to 600 restaurants nationwide. The technology, dubbed “FreshAI,” uses Google’s generative AI capabilities and large language models to understand complex orders despite menu customizations that could result in billions of possible combinations. According to Wendy’s executives, this technology “improves the customer experience and enables some labor efficiencies” in their restaurants.

Taco Bell’s Voice AI Rollout in 13 States

Taco Bell has emerged as a frontrunner in drive thru voice AI adoption. After an initial test in five California locations that received “positive consumer feedback,” the chain expanded to more than 100 restaurants across 13 states. Parent company Yum! Brands has announced plans to deploy the technology to hundreds of Taco Bell drive-thrus by the end of 2024. The system aims to enhance back-of-house operations while improving order accuracy and reducing wait times.

Hungry Jack’s Drive-Thru AI in Australia

In Australia, Hungry Jack’s is testing AI-powered drive-thrus at its St Peters outlet in Sydney. The trial allows customers to place orders through an AI assistant while maintaining the option to connect with human staff at any time. Hungry Jack’s has confirmed plans to roll out the technology to additional restaurants in the coming months, based on customer feedback. As a result, AI expert Niusha Shafiabady suggests the technology could ultimately save businesses money while reducing wait times and eliminating human error.

What Makes Drive-Thru AI Work Efficiently

Behind every efficient drive thru AI system lies sophisticated technology that powers the seamless ordering experience customers increasingly expect from major chains.

Voice Recognition Accuracy in Noisy Environments

The cornerstone of drive thru AI effectiveness is its ability to understand orders despite challenging acoustic conditions. Modern systems achieve over 95% accuracy even in noisy environments by training acoustic models with the very sounds they need to filter out. This includes engine noise at various speeds, indicator clicks, air conditioning fans, and even window wipers.

Moreover, these systems account for the Lombard Effect—how people naturally modify their speech in noisy settings by speaking louder and at different frequencies. Advanced noise canceling technology specifically designed for drive-thrus can identify and focus on the customer’s voice while filtering out background conversations and environmental sounds.

Menu Parsing and Suggestive Selling Algorithms

Once an order is captured, AI must interpret customer requests and translate them into actionable items. Large Language Models (LLMs) have transformed this capability by understanding millions of possible item permutations. Hence, systems can process complex orders, slang, abbreviations, and even grammatically incorrect requests.

Specifically regarding upselling, AI-driven recommendations have improved suggestive selling success rates by 5% compared to human employees. At McDonald’s, AI-powered suggestive selling has already contributed to growth in average order values across 11,000 drive-thrus.

Multilingual Support in Drive-Thru Voice AI

A significant advantage of drive thru voice AI is its inherent ability to support multiple languages without requiring multilingual staff. Some systems support over 150 languages, automatically detecting whether a customer is speaking English or Spanish—even mid-sentence. This capability ensures every customer can communicate easily regardless of linguistic background.

Integration with POS and Kitchen Systems

Ultimately, drive thru AI must seamlessly connect with existing restaurant infrastructure. These systems integrate directly with popular POS platforms like Toast, Square, PAR POS, and Aloha, sending finalized orders to kitchen terminals immediately after confirmation. Staff can update inventory in real-time through voice commands like “fries out of stock,” ensuring unavailable items aren’t offered.

Real-World Results: Time, Cost, and Labor Impact

The numbers speak volumes when examining how drive thru AI impacts restaurant operations. From faster service times to shifting labor patterns, these systems are delivering measurable results for major chains.

47% Reduction in Order Time at Select Locations

Restaurants implementing AI drive thru technology have witnessed remarkable improvements in service speed. Hellometer’s AI timer technology has produced an average 47-second improvement per guest interaction. This time savings adds up quickly – for a typical quick-service restaurant generating $135.01 million in annual sales, this acceleration translates to over $8.4 million in additional yearly revenue. Furthermore, every seven-second improvement in service speed correlates with approximately 1% revenue growth.

Voice AI technology specifically has demonstrated the ability to speed up ordering by 29 seconds per transaction. Even a modest 5-second improvement could potentially generate an additional $804,310 annually per store.

AI-Driven Upselling and Revenue Per Order

AI excels at consistent upselling, outperforming human counterparts in several key metrics. When customers knew they were interacting with AI, the success rate of selling increased to 69% versus the 64% overall average. Consequently, the average order value jumped from $897.81 to $951.81 – potentially worth over $3 million in additional annual revenue per location.

Modern AI systems make four times more context-specific upsell attempts than human staff, contributing to as much as a 6% increase in drive-thru revenue. Interestingly, one study showed average check sizes rising 7%, adding approximately $6.3 million in annual revenue per store.

Labor Reallocation: From Order Taking to Food Prep

With AI handling order-taking, employees can redirect their efforts toward food preparation and enhancing customer interactions. Administrative workload for managers has decreased by 38%, freeing approximately seven labor hours weekly for guest-facing leadership.

By automating repetitive tasks, restaurants can strategically reassign staff to higher-value roles that improve kitchen efficiency and customer satisfaction. Notably, employees report greater job satisfaction when AI reduces their repetitive workload.

Customer Feedback on AI Ordering Experience

The customer response to drive thru voice AI has been largely positive. Among consumers who experienced AI drive-thru technology, 61% reported a favorable interaction. Overall satisfaction reached 94%, climbing to 98% when shoppers believed they were interacting with Voice-AI.

Order accuracy has improved substantially, with AI systems achieving 95% accuracy compared to the typical 89% for human operators. Computer-vision guidance reduced assembly errors by 35%, boosting order-accuracy scores above 96% and increasing guest-satisfaction ratings by 9%.

Challenges and What’s Next for Drive-Thru AI

Despite impressive advancements, drive thru AI systems face several significant hurdles in practical applications. These challenges shape both current implementations and future innovations in the quick-service restaurant industry.

Order Misinterpretation and Menu Confusion

Even the most sophisticated drive thru voice AI systems occasionally stumble when interpreting complex orders. Current systems achieve 95% accuracy during optimal conditions, yet this rate drops significantly during peak hours or with complex modifications. Particularly, custom orders with multiple modifications present challenges for AI interpretation. Simultaneously, systems struggle with distinguishing between similar-sounding menu items, especially those with regional naming variations.

Training AI for Regional Menu Variants

Regional dialects and menu differences create substantial training challenges. For instance, AI systems must be specifically programmed to understand that “pop” in the Midwest means “soda” elsewhere. Likewise, a “cabinet” in Rhode Island refers to what most Americans call a “milkshake.” Furthermore, seasonal menu items require constant retraining cycles, making maintenance an ongoing process rather than a one-time implementation.

Balancing Automation with Human Oversight

Finding the right balance between automation and human involvement remains crucial. Currently, human employees still need to intervene in approximately 10-20% of AI-handled transactions. Throughout implementations at Wendy’s and Hungry Jack’s locations, staff maintain the ability to take over orders when AI systems encounter difficulties. Indeed, customer satisfaction scores consistently show higher ratings when hybrid models allow seamless transition between AI and human assistance.

Future Use Cases: Inventory, Loyalty, and Chatbots

Looking ahead, drive thru AI applications will expand far beyond basic ordering. Soon, these systems will integrate with inventory management to adjust menus in real-time based on available ingredients. Concurrently, AI will enhance loyalty programs by recognizing repeat customers through voice patterns and suggesting personalized recommendations based on order history. Most importantly, the technology will likely evolve toward genuine conversational abilities rather than simply processing transactions, creating more natural customer interactions that mirror human-to-human communication.

Conclusion

Drive-thru AI technology has emerged as a game-changer for fast-food chains, slashing order times by up to 47% while significantly improving accuracy and revenue. Major players like Wendy’s and Taco Bell continue expanding their AI implementations, seeing substantial benefits across their operations. Customers spend less time waiting, stores process more orders, and accuracy rates climb above 95% – all contributing to measurable revenue growth.

Nevertheless, challenges persist. Systems occasionally stumble with complex orders, regional dialects present training hurdles, and human oversight remains necessary for 10-20% of transactions. These issues explain why McDonald’s temporarily stepped back from their initial AI program, though they still view voice ordering as part of their future strategy.

The technology undoubtedly transforms more than just order-taking. Staff members find greater satisfaction when freed from repetitive tasks, while managers gain approximately seven additional hours weekly for customer-facing leadership. Additionally, customer satisfaction ratings have reached impressive heights – 94% overall and climbing to 98% when customers believe they’re interacting with AI.

Looking ahead, drive-thru AI will evolve beyond basic ordering. Future applications will likely integrate real-time inventory management, personalized recommendations through voice recognition, and truly conversational interactions that mirror human communication. Therefore, as drive-thru AI continues its rapid advancement, restaurants that embrace this technology stand to gain significant competitive advantages. Though still evolving, these systems already deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and profitability – making them an increasingly essential component of quick-service restaurant operations.

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