Several major fast-food companies are putting renewed attention on employee-to-customer service after years of expanding kiosks, artificial intelligence and other automated systems.
The push for automation is a decade old: McDonald’s put ordering kiosks in its restaurants in 2016, and Wendy’s started its FreshAI drive-thru system in 2023, The Independent reported. McDonald’s has also continued developing automated drive-thru tools, including an AI chatbot initiative called ArchIQ.
Burger King is changing some restaurant layouts to make employee interactions more prominent. Customers want a friendly face, President Tom Curtis told The Wall Street Journal, and with personal service disappearing from fast food, Burger King has to meet that.
In a July report, Fortune cited research finding that roughly 80% of diners prefer a human to an AI agent when they order. The Wall Street Journal said initiatives under consideration or development at McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks and Wendy’s include more active greetings, keeping counter employees available to address complaints and checking orders for accuracy.
At Portillo’s drive-thrus, employees walk out to take orders in person rather than leaving customers to talk into a speaker. The Chicago-based chain also used baristas to train staff in starting conversations with customers waiting in line. Mike Roman, Portillo’s vice president of field operations, told QSR Magazine that observing those conversations helped employees understand their effect and encouraged more personal exchanges.
