Wendy’s is teaming up with Google to introduce an innovative way to decrease waiting time at their drive-thrus. The fast-food chain plans to test a new AI chatbot named “Wendy’s FreshAI” that can receive verbal orders from customers at one of its Columbus, Ohio restaurants starting in June.
The AI chatbot is expected to help reduce long wait times by taking orders from customers who use Wendy’s drive-thru kiosks. Google collaborated with Wendy’s to create a custom chatbot based on its existing large language model (LLM) technology. The partnership’s progress will be revealed at Google’s upcoming event, Google I/O.
The chatbot will be able to recognize Wendy’s unique terms such as “Frosty” for “milkshake” and “junior bacon cheeseburger” for “JBC.” After receiving the order, the chatbot will display the details on a screen for line cooks to prepare the food. A worker will then hand the meal to the customer at the pick-up window.
Wendy’s is one of the first fast-food corporations to use Google’s artificial intelligence technology for its chatbot. This approach demonstrates AI technology’s ability to address common difficulties in the fast-food business, such as increasing customer experience and service efficiency.
As AI technology continues to evolve, other companies may follow Wendy’s lead and integrate similar AI strategies. The Wendy’s and Google partnership shows how AI technology can revolutionize the food industry.
Overall, Wendy’s and Google’s partnership is an exciting development that showcases the potential of AI technology. The AI chatbot’s effectiveness in reducing wait times remains to be seen, but it’s a promising development for the fast-food industry.
