AI voice ordering: Who’s using it, and is it working?

A growing number of restaurants are introducing artificial intelligence (AI) voice ordering technology to streamline the ordering process. It allows customers to place their orders using natural language voice commands – using AI systems (instead of human employees) as the first (and sometimes only) point of interaction between customer and restaurant. 

Which restaurants are using it? 

Notably, McDonald’s and Wendy’s are both rolling out AI voice ordering across more restaurants as part of large-scale technology tests – which suggests plans to scale it across all of these chains’ restaurants in the future. 

Chipotle and Domino’s also use automated voice technology in a growing number of their stores; and White Castle expects to see rapid advancements in AI voice tech for the restaurant industry in 2024, according to Jamie Richardson (VP of Marketing and PR at White Castle) in an interview with PYMNTS. 

What are the benefits?

Although implementing AI tech requires a shift in operations for any F&B business, it comes with very real benefits to efficiency and the bottom line. 

Those benefits include…

• Reducing wait times for customers
  
• Enhancing order accuracy – which, in turn, increases customer satisfaction
  
• Providing personalised recommendations to customers
  
• Allowing customers to order in their native language (when their language is supported by the language processing system)
  
• Seamlessly tracking orders
  
• Efficiently gathering data on customer habits and preferences across time
  
• Integrating AI voice ordering with channels including phone systems, ordering apps, and websites – minimising friction in the overall customer experience
  
• Lowering labour costs for businesses and increasing order capacity 

…and more. 

But there are challenges for restaurants integrating AI voice ordering

All emerging technologies come with new challenges. From a business perspective, AI voice ordering poses a problem for smaller F&B businesses that don’t have the budget to buy and test new tech, or to invest in training to ensure they can leverage the technology to their advantage. 

Once in place, AI could help small businesses increase efficiency and lower costs so they’re more competitive in the market. But there are significant hurdles to cross before they reach that point – and many independent restaurants don’t have the time or motivation to take the leap. 

An issue for restaurants of all sizes is customer awareness. It takes a significant push to help customers transition from person-to-person ordering; and if customers aren’t aware that AI voice ordering is available, or they’re not comfortable using the technology, adoption rates may be low – driving down the restaurant’s ROI. 

Restaurants have to ensure that when they do leverage voice tech, the experience for customers feels positive, as natural as possible, and not clunky and robotic. The AI system should mimic real conversation so customers can order just as they would if they were speaking to a human being – instead of having to adapt their speech for the tech. 

And the restaurant environment isn’t always conducive to the use of precision voice technology. Food service settings are loud with chatter, movement, and often include outside eating spaces – so the tech has to function well (and have a good UX) even when there’s noise, rain, or wind.

But while implementing AI voice tech isn’t as simple as setting it up and leaving it to do its job, it has the potential to improve the restaurant experience for customers, support accessibility, and improve restaurant profit margins at the same time.