McDonald’s and other major fast-food chains are increasing employee involvement after years of adding kiosks and artificial intelligence. The changes cover restaurant design, drive-thru practices and worker training, according to The Independent, citing The Wall Street Journal and Fortune.
McDonald’s began installing ordering kiosks in 2016. Wendy’s added its FreshAI automated drive-thru system in 2023, while McDonald’s introduced the ArchIQ drive-thru chatbot earlier this year through its “McDonald’s > NEXT” initiative. Yet Fortune said in July that roughly 80% of diners prefer ordering from a human instead of an AI system.
Burger King President Tom Curtis told The Wall Street Journal that customers seek a welcoming personal presence.
Burger King is redesigning some restaurants to make face-to-face service more prominent. Efforts reported at McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks and Wendy’s include more energetic welcomes, workers available to handle complaints and employee reviews of orders for accuracy. Portillo’s, the Chicago-based hot-dog chain, has employees take drive-thru orders outside rather than depending solely on a menu board and speaker.
The company also added baristas to train workers in opening conversations with customers in line, QSR Magazine reported.
