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Would you like AI with that?
Wendy’s will implement artificial intelligence to help take orders at hundreds of their drive-thru windows by the end of the year.
The news was revealed by CEO Kirk Tanner revealed during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday, Feb. 13, per People.
The chain’s AI voice assistant — dubbed “FreshAI” — first began testing in 2023 and is currently used in about 100 Wendy’s locations, and it’s expected to expand to somewhere between 500 and 600 locations by the end of the year.
FreshAI is a collaboration with Google Cloud, and Tanner reportedly tests it out personally a few times per week at a Wendy’s location close to the headquarters in Dublin, Ohio.
Tanner claims that FreshAI “gives customers the opportunity to build their orders” and “understands what to ask for.”
As for the accuracy of the system, Tanner noted that it “definitely is improving.”
If the expansion goes well, the CEO hopes to expand it to all of Wendy’s 6,000 U.S. restaurant locations.
“It’s got a bright future, and we’re moving forward,” he said on the earnings call.
Wendy’s customers seemed to be skeptical of the move, taking to Reddit to share their opinions.
“Welp time to not eat at Wendys anymore,” one wrote.
“Yup. The day I pull up and there is no human interaction is the day I order 10 meal ‘deals,’ drive off and never return,” another quipped.
One Reddit user shared that they had this at a Taco Bell they went to and they “had to ask for a real person because the damn thing couldn’t understand me.”
“Have you ever used one of the AI ordering things? They suck so badly,” someone wrote.
“The AI ordertakers are garbage and get the order wrong so often I’ve had to have a employee start taking my order instead cus it was so bad,” another shared.
“Well I WAS going to go to Wendy’s today with my family. That’s all off now,” one commented.
Wendy’s isn’t the first fast food chain to try AI ordering.
In 2021, McDonald’s teamed up with IBM to use artificial intelligence software to take customers’ orders.
In July 2024, the Golden Arches ended its AI-powered automated drive-thru experiment at more than 100 locations after angry customers reported receiving items they didn’t order.
