Earlier this year, The Wendy’s Company WEN partnered with Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG GOOGL Google Cloud and introduced an AI chatbot, Wendy’s FreshAI, that can take orders at its drive-thru. Now, the company has announced its expansion.
What Happened: On Monday, through a blog post, the company’s senior vice president and global chief technology officer, Matt Spessard, announced that Wendy’s FreshAI, powered by Google Cloud’s AI software, is active across four company-operated restaurants in the Columbus, Ohio market.
More locations may start using the tool by the end of this year or early 2024. Moreover, Wendy’s has also received interest from its franchises and will begin offering them the product to test next year.
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“We’re also offering opportunities for franchisees to pilot Wendy’s FreshAI in 2024, as we continue to receive interest from many who are eager to evolve their own restaurant experiences with this innovative technology,” stated Spessard in the blog post.
Additionally, as per the company, Wendy’s FreshAI has autonomously handled approximately 86% of orders. At its launch in May, Wendy’s had said up to 80% of its customers prefer ordering via drive-thrus.
“The benefits of speed of service continue throughout the time a customer is in the drive-thru, with one test site showing service times 22 seconds faster than the Columbus market average,” the blog post stated, adding, “The technology is allowing restaurant teams to focus on preparing and completing orders to serve up quality and speed.”
Why It’s Important: Wendy’s FreshAI was introduced to reduce customer wait times. It was also aimed at navigating increased labor expenses and the sustained demand for drive-thru services, according to Bloomberg.
Earlier this month, McDonald’s also announced a partnership with Google. The fast food giant intends to integrate generative AI into its operations.
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