As a result of the termination of a relationship with IBM, the corporation might be looking for a new partner.
A test of artificial intelligence-powered drive-thru ordering that lasted for two years has been completed by McDonald’s. The company was testing IBM technology at more than one hundred of its restaurants, but it plans to remove such systems from all of its locations by the end of July. This means that customers will once again be able to place their orders with a human rather than a computer.
This move includes McDonald’s terminating its relationship with IBM for automated order taking (AOT), which was previously in place. It is possible that McDonald’s is contemplating the possibility of collaborating with other potential partners on future AOT endeavors.
An email sent by Mason Smoot, the chief restaurant officer for McDonald’s USA, to franchisees was received by the trade newspaper Restaurant Business (as reported by PC Mag). In the email, Smoot stated, “While there have been successes to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly.” “IBM has given us confidence that a voice ordering solution for drive-thru will be part of our restaurant’s future,” Smoot stated, adding that the company will investigate other possibilities and make “an informed decision on a future voice ordering solution by the end of the year.” Smoot also mentioned that the future of the restaurant would include a voice ordering solution.
Restaurant Business was informed by McDonald’s that the purpose of the test was to discover whether or not AOT could significantly improve the speed of service and streamline operations. Companies are expecting that by automating drive-thru orders, they will be able to eliminate the need for a member of staff to accept them. This would allow them to either reduce the number of employees required to run a restaurant or reallocate resources to other areas of the business.
Other McDonald’s systems will continue to be powered by IBM, and the company is now in discussions with other fast-food businesses on the usage of its AOT technology. Numerous fast food restaurants, including Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr., Krystal, Wendy’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Taco John’s, are now experimenting with or implementing this technology at their drive-thru lines.