I can easily see this automation going to an app like Popeye's has. You can order and if location services are on the restaurant can expedite according to proximity. Heck the local sushi place here has an online menu that lets you tell them a date and time you want it ready.Though many restaurants have struggled during the coronavirus pandemic, McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), like other fast food joints, has fared pretty well. But much of that has to do with the fact many customers visit McDonald's to grab food in a hurry. And now, the burger giant is making plans to expedite the ordering process even more.
Bye bye, humans
For McDonald's, 70% of its sales come from drive-thru orders, so it pays for the company to invest in ways to make that system more efficient. Enter artificial intelligence.
McDonald's is in the process of replacing some of its drive-thru employees with computers that will welcome customers and be linked to a digital menu drivers can order from. The goal is to speed up the drive-thru line and prevent human error from slowing things down.
While it's easy to argue live employees make for a better drive-thru experience, those same employees can also botch orders or mishear customers. They can also forget to greet customers or wish them a good day. Using a system of AI and digital menus should help reduce incorrect orders and move customers along while ensuring they have a pleasant ordering experience.
In 2019, the average McDonald's drive-thru order took six minutes and 18 seconds to complete, but the company managed to shrink that to five minutes and 49 seconds in 2020, when drive-thru ordering really picked up. Getting that turnaround time down even further could work wonders for McDonald's -- and a host of other fast food establishments that rely on drive-thrus for a lot of their business...............
McDonald's Is Replacing Humans With Machines at Drive-Thrus: A Trend? (msn.com)