The new normal for restaurants is exponential growth in technology. Franchised restaurant chains have the infrastructure, research and development to bring this to the public first. In order to pay for these advances, expect future consolidation of franchise brands for economies of scale.

Artificial intelligence at Your Local Drive-Thru

Did you know that 80% of quick service restaurant (QSR) orders are generated by drive-thru purchases? That is why we are starting to see the cutting-edge technology of artificial intelligence in order taking. Hamburger chains Checkers and Rally's have started to implement AI in their corporate drive-thru restaurants. The effort is intended to be invisible to customers except to reduce wait times. The AI works in the kitchen to create food preparation efficiencies. Customers will hear an automatic voice intended to improve order accuracy, increase upsells, reduce kitchen labor costs and improve customer experiences. Many other restaurants are using AI but rarely at the customer interface.