AI-Powered Voicebots, Drones and Fully Automated Locations Drive the Future of Fast-Food Franchising
If you’ve visited a fast-food drive-thru recently, you’ve likely noticed a few changes. Digital menu boards, AI-powered voicebots and multiple lanes for mobile and third-party orders have become standard features. Today’s customers want convenience, and franchisors are increasingly turning to technology to make it happen. According to the National Restaurant Association, nearly 75% of all restaurant sales in the U.S. now takes place off-premises — encompassing takeout, drive‑thru and delivery.
The drive-thru has become a critical battleground for innovation and customer loyalty as brands such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell and Chick-fil-A continue investing in digital transformation. With so much momentum behind drive-thru innovation, National Drive-Thru Day (July 24) offers an opportunity to spotlight some of the most cutting-edge, tech-forward fast-food drive-thrus.
Innovative Fast-Food Drive-Thrus
Carl’s Jr.
In 2023, CKE Restaurants — the parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s — partnered with Presto, OpenCity and Valyant AI to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) voice assistants in drive-thrus across the country. OpenCity’s Tori and Presto Voice platforms aim to increase efficiency, improve order accuracy and reduce wait times. The AI takes customer orders on its own, but employees can still listen in through their headsets while handling other tasks, according to Restaurant Drive.
The results have been promising. According to a QSR Magazine and Intouch Insight study, Carl’s Jr. recorded one of the fastest total drive-thru times in 2023, with an average service time of 303.74 seconds — right behind Taco Bell (278.84 seconds).
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A is one of the country’s most popular fast-food chains and consistently delivers some of the fastest, most accurate and friendliest fast-food drive-thru experiences in the industry. In 2024, the brand earned a 93% order accuracy rating, according to the Intouch Insight and QSR Magazine drive-thru study.
The brand has recently tested two innovative drive-thru concepts. In metro Atlanta, Chick-fil-A opened a two-story, drive-thru-only restaurant with four lanes that can accommodate up to 75 cars. To do this, a conveyor system delivers meals from the elevated kitchen to customers waiting below. In New York City, the company launched a walk-up, mobile-order-only location, where customers retrieve digital orders without needing a car.
To keep lines moving, Chick-fil-A also has dedicated Mobile Thru lanes for app users at locations nationwide and leverages drones and overhead cameras to analyze drive-thru traffic patterns and optimize service speed.
KFC
KFC drive-thrus boast speed, accuracy and customer satisfaction by using technology to enhance the experience. For example, KFC’s parent company, Yum! Brands, has recently partnered with NVIDIA to accelerate the development of innovative AI technologies across all of its brands. The goal is to create AI agents that adapt to human speech patterns, understand complex menus and recognize customer preferences.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s recently made headlines by implementing AI and edge computing across its 43,000 locations to support AI‑enabled drive‑thrus, in‑store analytics and predictive maintenance to reduce wait times and boost efficiency. Digital menu boards now update in real‑time, based on factors like time of day and weather. This data is expected to help drive staff scheduling, inventory forecasting and more.
The Golden Arches has also experimented with a fully automated location in Texas, allowing customers to bypass all human interaction. While humans still prepare the food, customers place orders at kiosks or through an app, and a conveyor belt sends the order to the drive-thru window.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is known for its unique fast-food drive-thru experiences. In 2021, the Mexican-inspired franchise announced plans for Taco Bell Defy — a drive-thru-only, two-story restaurant with four lanes that are dedicated to pre-orders made via the Taco Bell app as well as pickups for delivery drivers. Only one of the lanes remains staffed by employees.
Defy offers speedy skip-the-line service for individuals who order via the Taco Bell app and for third-party delivery services. Customers are also greeted by video ordering technology and receive their food through a cylindrical “proprietary vertical lift” instead of interacting with a human employee, according to Today.com.
Wendy’s
Wendy’s is no stranger to using AI to enhance its drive-thru experience. For example, the fast-food franchise partnered with Google Cloud to roll out a custom-made generative AI voicebot system called Wendy’s FreshAI. This voicebot system creates personalized responses to customers and can function without human help on 86% of orders.
Wendy’s has also partnered with Pipedream to implement a state-of-the-art food pick-up system. Here’s how it works: An autonomous robot conveys food underground to the above-ground Pipedream Instant Pickup portal that’s adjacent to the customer’s designated parking place. The system then delivers digital food orders from the kitchen to the parking area in seconds.
