AI Has Mastered Programming. Fast Food Is the Next Frontier.

“The restaurants found themselves dedicating more time to addressing the issue they had created,” remarks Michael Schatzberg, cofounder of Branded Hospitality, which invests in food-service-technology startups. “Everyone was expressing frustration, saying, ‘This is the worst.
Stop. Get the people back with the headsets.’”

Branded Hospitality divested its initial investments in AI drive-thrus. In 2024, Del Taco ceased its AI drive-thru testing. McDonald’s ultimately sold McD Tech Labs to IBM and later discontinued the technology altogether.

Not all chains abandoned their AI drive-thru initiatives. Several—including Dairy Queen, White Castle, and Taco Bell—continued to quietly expand their trials. AI signified more than just new technology; it embodied the fundamental aspiration of fast food: accelerating the process of acquiring food while decreasing costs.

Four years into White Castle’s collaboration with SoundHound AI, chief marketing officer Jamie Richardson states that AI drive-thrus enhance employee shift efficiency and improve service speed. (Intouch Insight reports that, on average, AI drive-thrus surpass the industry benchmark by 21 seconds.)

Richardson also notes that viral failures linked to AI drive-thrus are often exaggerated. White Castle’s approach emphasizes gradual improvement instead of waiting for an infallible AI solution. “It wasn’t problematic from the beginning,” Richardson asserts. “It has significantly improved over time.”

Within the fast-food sector, there appears to be a shift back towards embracing AI drive-thrus. Alongside Taco Bell and Dairy Queen’s planned expansions, McDonald’s revealed this summer that it is once again testing AI-driven ordering, this time collaborating with Google at five locations across the US, utilizing a system capable of processing orders in both English and Spanish.

Branded Hospitality recently collaborated with Arc, a voice AI-drive-thru enterprise that serves chains like Southern chain Jack’s and chicken chain Pollo Campero. Schatzberg highlights that AI drive-thru 1.0 was unsuccessful, but now, “Companies have progressed, technology has advanced, and they’re realizing—we can resolve many of those issues,” he states.

Some customers remain skeptical.

When an automated voice began responding to Schereé Reed at a Wendy’s in Virginia, his primary feeling was “bewilderment.” He kept expecting a human to intervene; when the voice retained its distinctly robotic quality, he found himself questioning if his burger would be delivered on a conveyor belt.

“I have significant concerns about how increasing reliance on AI erodes our human connections, such as the ability to foster community,” Reed tells WIRED.

Certain chains—especially those known for exceptional customer service—seem to share the same worries. Chick-fil-A consistently ranks at the top of Intouch Insight’s friendliness ratings at drive-thrus, despite its notoriously long wait times. The chain has never suggested replacing a human staff member with a machine. Coffee shops Dutch Bros and 7Brew, two of the fastest-growing chains in the US, have also opted out of using AI.

“Every brand must make decisions that align with its business philosophy,” Nick Chavez, the chief marketing officer at 7Brew, shares with WIRED via email. “For us, hospitality begins with authentic human interaction, and that’s something our customers consistently value.”