Wendy's Joins Growing Trend of Using AI Chatbot for Next-Generation Order Taking

Fast-food chain Wendy's is set to roll out an artificial-intelligence chatbot, powered by natural-language software developed by Google, to automate their drive-through service. The chatbot is trained to understand various ways customers order off-menu, with unique terms, phrases, and acronyms. Developed with the aim of streamlining the order process and prevent long lines, Wendy's have been working with Google since 2021. The application has also been programmed to upsell, offering larger sizes, Frosties, or daily specials, with as much as 80% of food orders made through their drive-through lanes. The customized language model, designed on top of Google's own large language model, is set to be officially rolled out in June at a company-owned restaurant in Columbus, Ohio.