Major change to McDonald’s drive-thru coming next year - The Independent
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Next year, millions of McDonald’s customers will meet a new “employee” named Archy.
The fast-food giant plans to roll out Archy - a voice-AI technology that runs its drive-thrus - at the majority of U.S. restaurants in 2027, CEO Chris Kempczinski said this week.
“We're expanding testing of Archy, our smart ordering system,” Kempczinski said during an earnings call. “It's giving our crew more time to spend with our customers and make sure every order is delicious.”
Archy, which has been testing at certain locations since June, will save at least 50 labor hours a week per store, according to McDonald’s, and free up staff to focus on hospitality.
The company did not indicate whether the labor hours Archy is estimated to save will result in store-level layoffs. The Independent has contacted McDonald’s for comment.
McDonald’s and other fast-food restaurants are trying to find the sweet spot between AI efficiency and customers’ preference for hospitality and human experience.
For McDonald’s, AI drive-thrus provide two key benefits - consistency and accuracy, Kempczinski said in an interview Tuesday with Boston Consulting Group.
“AI has the potential with voice recognition to provide much greater consistency when you go through the drive-thru and much greater accuracy when you’re going through the drive-thru,” he said.
Around 75 percent of McDonald’s business happens at the drive-thru, he added.
At Burger King, employees have an AI assistant named “Patty” embedded in the headsets they use to communicate with each other and customers.
Launched in February, Patty serves as a coach for employees, tracking what they say and identifying the use of friendly words and phrases such as “thank you” and “welcome.”
“It’s not about scoring individuals or enforcing scripts. It’s about reinforcing great hospitality and giving managers helpful, real-time insights so they can recognize their teams more effectively,” Burger King said in a statement.
Fast-food company leaders say AI has benefits but research shows they can overestimate customers’ acceptance of the tools.
Only 22 percent of customers said they preferred interacting with AI agents but businesses believe that number is around 40 percent, Layne Haaksma, a senior research analyst at research and advisory firm Metrigy, told Fortune in July.
In February, a Metrigy study found that 85 percent of consumers prefer a human agent over AI agents.
Older consumers are more likely to prefer a human over AI, the study found. “Consumers, particularly those 45 and older, haven’t fully embraced AI agents, and although they are generally favorable about technology in customer service, they continue to prefer the human touch,” CEO Robin Gareiss said.
