Fortune's July reporting put the share of diners who would rather order from a person than from AI at about 80%. Tom Curtis, Burger King's president, told The Wall Street Journal that customers want a friendly face and that the company has to embrace that.
Burger King is modifying some restaurant designs to support more face-to-face service. Efforts reported across McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks and Wendy’s include livelier greetings, employees available to handle complaints and checks to ensure orders are correct. The Independent, citing The Wall Street Journal and Fortune, reported on the broader changes.
The moves follow years of automation. Self-order kiosks appeared at McDonald’s in 2016; this year the company added ArchIQ, an AI chatbot for its drive-thrus, under its “McDonald’s > NEXT” plan. Wendy’s began using FreshAI for automated drive-thru orders in 2023.
Portillo’s sends staff outside to take drive-thru orders face to face and has used baristas as conversation coaches, according to QSR Magazine. The industry newsletter The Prep wrote in August that accountability, judgment and observation are qualities people supply and AI does not.
