My first job was at Taco Bell in Orangevale, California. Like most teenagers bringing in a paycheck, I was happy to have my own money, but there were certain tasks I always dreaded.
I loathed drive-thru duty. I struggled to hear customers, they struggled to hear me, and I often got orders wrong—all of which was frustrating for a 15- to 18-year-old who took pride in what he did. Far too many orders were botched at that drive thru window, and food costs must have been ridiculous.
Order accuracy throughout the quick-service industry was low back then. In 1998, the inaugural year of the annual Drive-Thru Performance Study, accuracy ratings for benchmark brands were as low as 61.8 percent and topped out at 83.9 percent. In the 2023 study, which measured the performance of three busy locations of top QSR brands (Chick-fil-A in Alpharetta, Georgia, Taco Bell’s “Defy” location in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, and McDonald’s in Fort Worth, Texas), order accuracy averaged 86 percent—a notable improvement, but one that took 25 years.
As in almost every industry, AI is quickly shaping the future of restaurant operations. Today, brands are using AI for everything from inventory management to scheduling optimization, analyzing customer feedback, cleaning and maintenance, and much more.
It’s also revolutionizing the drive thru. Not only does AI help solve staffing problems, it can take orders faster and more accurately than human staff. It can adjust digital menu boards in real time to highlight items that are more likely to appeal to the current customer based on the time of day or the weather. When paired with loyalty (first-party) data or license plate recognition, it can suggest items based on dietary preferences, allergies, and previous order history.
These days, I live near Taco Bell’s headquarters in Irvine, California, where they have stores that test new brand innovations before rolling them out to the rest of the country. For the past several weeks, I’ve personally tested their voice AI ordering system and recently shared my experience on LinkedIn. Like most innovations, it’s a work in progress with frequent iterative improvements (modifiers, integration into outdoor digital menu boards, loyalty integration, etc.). My first impressions, however, were that the system has tremendous potential.
Taco Bell’s voice ordering process begins with a loyalty check with the AI asking, “Are you checking in with your app today to earn points?” Since loyalty is not yet integrated into the voice AI ordering system, a person immediately takes over if the order is from a Taco Bell Rewards member.
In the video, my goal was to see how easy it was to add a modifier (extra onions) to an item already in my basket, something I find myself doing often across other ordering channels. The main priority was to see how it handled a change to an item already in my cart. So far, my voice AI orders have been accurate 100 percent of the time.
Commenters on my LinkedIn post wondered how the system dealt with accents, so on a subsequent trip, a colleague whose second language is English helped test that. When she purposely ordered a “cheesy bean burrito,” which is not a menu item, an employee quickly took over to verify whether she wanted a cheesy bean and rice burrito or a bean burrito with cheese. Ironically, this video demonstrates that the human was difficult to decipher, while the AI voice was crystal clear.
There were some downsides, though. I ordered a Coke, and Taco Bell serves Pepsi products. Instead of asking if Pepsi was acceptable, the system simply substituted without confirming my consent. AI responses are also a bit slow at times, which I imagine will frustrate some customers.
As I reflect on my teenage years at Taco Bell, it’s clear that the drive-thru experience has come a long way from the days of muffled speakers and botched orders. Who would have thought that the same place where I once struggled to hear customers over the crackling headset would now be leading the charge with AI-driven precision?
While the AI voice ordering system isn’t perfect yet, it’s a far cry from the chaos of my drive-thru days. And who knows? Maybe one day, the AI will even be able to handle the most complex of orders without a hitch, leaving us humans to enjoy our cheesy bean burritos in peace.
So, next time you make a run for the border, remember: whether it’s a human or a robot taking your order, Taco Bell is always full of surprises. And if you ever find yourself frustrated with the AI, just think of 15-year-old me, fumbling with the drive-thru headset, and have a good laugh.
Chris Crichton has spent his post-Taco Bell drive thru career focused on revenue generation, client management and delivery across digital, mobile, CRM, loyalty, and brand marketing. Now SVP of Business Development at Bounteous, Chris partners with restaurant brands seeking to leverage digital innovation to better connect with customers and improve AOV, order frequency and, ultimately, comp sales.
