This article Originally appeared in Takeaway.
Many fast food restaurants are Try artificial intelligence In recent months, we’ve tried to figure out how best to leverage evolving technology to drive sales and increase efficiency.many Dining room chain Already tested AI-assisted through lanebut the recent woes of one artificial intelligence company illustrate the potential pitfalls of this model.
Presto Automation provides artificial intelligence solutions, specifically speech recognition technology, to many major fast food chains, including checkers and rally, Taco’s, as well as Carl’s Jr. and Hardy’s. Presto’s voice bot is already in 145 Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr. and Wiener Schnitzel Restaurants as of February 1, 2024.restaurant business Report The company also supplies digital ordering tablets to casual restaurant chains, such as Applebee’s, Chiliand red lobster.
However, Presto has struggled to reassure investors recently. The company is running out of money and must find a way to pay $6 million to lenders this month. To make matters worse, Presto is losing some of its biggest customers.
Fast food chains waffle on AI solutions
Del Taco began using Presto’s voice AI in its drive-thru lanes in 2022 and said in early 2023 that the technology “exceeded expectations.” Del Taco plans to expand use of the technology across its 600 restaurants, Restaurant Business report then.Now, however, Deltaco has made a decision Stop using the technology in its restaurants.
Presto’s technology does use AI voice recognition to record orders in drive-thru lanes, but a large part of the process still requires the involvement of actual employees. The robot takes down the customer’s order, but it’s still the employee’s responsibility to enter the order and ensure its accuracy. Voice assistant technology has gone through many iterations, but even the most advanced versions can only fulfill 30% of orders without help.
Other chain stores such as white castle McDonald’s is also testing AI voice recognition in its drive-thru lanes. From a customer perspective, however, these new technologies are a mixed bag.When McDonald’s first tried similar technology in its drive-thru lanes, internet users Online baking robot Because they misunderstood their orders.
Presto’s AI-powered voice recognition has been the company’s flagship product since its inception, but even its subscription tablets clearly failed to impress in the long run. Applebee’s, Chili’s and Red Lobster have all confirmed they will not renew their contracts with Presto.
Nonetheless, Presto’s leadership appears to be Be optimistic about the future. “Today we have received strong interest from franchisees interested in discussing voice AI with us,” Presto CEO Xavier Casanova said in a November 2023 press release. “We look forward to widespread adoption of our Presto voice AI solution across North America as brands and franchisees adapt to this new reality.”