Starbucks wants to explore AI menu personalization in drive-thru
Starbucks has announced its intention to explore AI technology for drive-thru that would recognize logged-in customers and display personalized menus to them. Similar systems are already being tested by Taco Bell and McDonald's.
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol announced during the company's earnings conference call that the company plans to explore technologies that would recognize logged-in customers upon arrival at the drive-thru, display personalized digital menus to them, and simplify payment. According to Niccol, this is for now an intention to explore these possibilities, not a deployed system.
Taco Bell is already testing similar technology, where the content and appearance of the digital menu board changes individually based on each vehicle in line. McDonald's has also recently introduced an AI feature, which it is piloting at several of its drive-thru locations.
The source article does not specify technical details, a timeline, or exactly how customer recognition will work. Details can be found in the source article.
Why it matters
This is another example of AI deployment in fast food for personalizing offerings and simplifying payment, similar to competitors Taco Bell and McDonald's. For the average consumer or employee, this is not an immediate change, since Starbucks has only announced its intention to explore the given concept.
Relevant practical impact
What this means
For a business
For companies in food service and retail, this is a signal that menu personalization and customer recognition using AI in drive-thru is becoming a trend among major players (Starbucks, Taco Bell, McDonald's), which could affect customer expectations as well as competitive pressure in the fast food segment.
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Event sources
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