Soon, are we going to be asked, “Do you want fries with that?” by ROBOTS? Recently, CKE Restaurants — the parent company of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. — announced they would roll out AI in their drive-thrus nationwide. Here are all the details we know so far…
AI has taken the world by storm by working its way through a spectrum of industries from medicine to finance.
THE FOOD INDUSTRY IS JUST THE LATEST TO ADOPT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
CKE Restaurants owns 250 of the 2,800 Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. locations across the United States.
The corporation partnered with Presto and OpenCity to create automated ordering systems. A task that Presto and OpenCity both have experience with…
AI Has Already Been at the Drive-Thru Behind the Scenes…
It looks like Hardee’s parent company chose its software developers based on their proven track record.
Presto’s program, PrestoVoice, is already taking drive-thru orders via AI at fast-food chains Del Taco and Checkers. Similarly, OpenCity’s Tori system is being used successfully by a Popeye’s franchisee.
But CKE wasn’t going to implement AI at the drive-thru without testing it first…
The fast-food enterprise is reluctant to specify how many of its locations already use AI. However, we can confirm at least 32 stores with an additional 21 planned to launch soon
Chief technology officer of CKE, Phil Crawford, told CNBC the pilot program “exceeding expectations” in:
- Speed of service
- Upselling customers
- Accuracy of orders
- Overall customer experience
BUT HOW DOES AI AT THE DRIVE-THRU WORK?
What AI Means for Fast Food — In the Present and Future
As is the case when any artificial intelligence is proposed, the effect of it on flesh and bone employees is always a concern…
Currently, the AI software used at drive-thrus under CKE management still has human involvement.
FAST FOOD WORKERS STILL HEAR CUSTOMER ORDERS THROUGH HEADSETS AND TAKE PAYMENT FROM CUSTOMERS AT THE WINDOW.
Nonetheless, we can only speculate if that will change as technology becomes more advanced. For now, it seems to be a solution that benefits the consumers.
But while Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. are advancing AI at the drive-thru, can they also figure out how to bring back the curly fries?
— GCTV Staff
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