Major fast-food brands are increasing the role of employees in restaurants and drive-thrus, while continuing to use kiosks and artificial intelligence. Reports from The Independent, The Wall Street Journal and Fortune describe changes involving restaurant layouts, ordering procedures and worker training.
Kiosk ordering arrived at McDonald’s in 2016. Wendy’s followed with FreshAI, its automated drive-thru ordering, in 2023, and this year McDonald’s put an AI chatbot called ArchIQ into drive-thrus as part of “McDonald’s > NEXT.” Diners have been slower to warm to the machines. In July, Fortune reported that about four in five would rather order from a person than from AI.
Customers want a friendly face, Burger King President Tom Curtis said in The Wall Street Journal's report. Burger King is redesigning some stores to give face-to-face service more prominence. Among the steps the Journal described at McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks and Wendy’s: livelier greetings, a staff member on hand for complaints, and a second look at each order before it goes out.
At Portillo’s, a Chicago hot-dog chain, employees have stood outside to take drive-thru orders in person instead of leaving customers to talk into a speaker. The chain brought in baristas to show its workers how to talk with people waiting in line, according to a 2024 QSR Magazine report. Industry analysis said employees offer accountability, judgment and observation that automated systems cannot duplicate, while technology can support operations.
