McDonald's latest venture into the high-tech future of ordering a Big Mac without ever speaking to a human being has collapsed like Lizzo after too many McNuggets, with the fast-food giant hitting the pause button on their two-year experiment with IBM's automated drive-thru order taking.
Viral videos of misunderstood orders including bacon-topped ice cream and hundreds of dollars' worth of chicken nuggets probably didn't help…
An email to franchisees last week revealed that McDonald's is ending this test without any further expansion plans, and are actively looking for a new tech partner to give this automated ordering thing another shot.
"While there have been successes to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly," Mason Smoot, chief restaurant officer for McDonald's USA, told franchises in a message, according to Restaurant Business. "After a thoughtful review, McDonald's has decided to end our current partnership with IBM on AOT and the technology will be shut off in all restaurants currently testing it no later than July 26, 2024."
"As we move forward, our work with IBM has given us the confidence that a voice-ordering solution for drive-thru will be part of our restaurants' future," McDonald's told Restaurant Business. "We see tremendous opportunity in advancing our restaurant technology and will continue to evaluate long-term, scalable solutions that will help us make an informed decision on a future voice ordering solution by the end of the year."
McDonald's has been flirting with drive-thru AI since 2021, right after selling its McD Tech Labs to IBM. The goal was to see if a computer could speed up service. McDonald's is convinced that a future where a robot takes your order is inevitable — especially given things like Gavin Newsom's $20 minimum wage for the fast-food industry. But they also need the right AI technology that won't get confused when you ask for "no pickles."
Other fast-food chains like Checkers, Rally's, Wendy's, and Dunkin' are also diving headfirst into the AI pool, looking to replace human order takers with machines that won't complain about the minimum wage.
Robots might end up killing us all Terminator-style … so the least we can ask for is that they get our order right!
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