Wendy's Taps Google Cloud to Revolutionize the Drive-Thru Experience with AI
Wendy's and Google Cloud announced an expanded partnership to pilot a
groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) solution, Wendy's
FreshAI, designed to revolutionize the quick service restaurant industry.
The technology has the potential to transform Wendy's drive-thru food ordering
experience with Google Cloud's generative AI and large language models (LLMs)
technology.
With 75 to 80 percent of Wendy's customers choosing the
drive-thru as their preferred ordering channel, delivering a seamless ordering
experience using AI automation can be difficult due to the complexities of menu
options, special requests, and ambient noise. For example, because customers
can fully customize their orders and food is prepared when ordered at Wendy's,
this presents billions of possible order combinations available on the Wendy's
menu, leaving room for miscommunication or incorrect orders. Google Cloud's
generative AI capabilities can now bring a new automated ordering
experience to the drive-thru that is intended to enhance the
experience that customers, employees and franchisees expect from Wendy's.
"Wendy's introduced the first modern pick-up window in the
industry more than 50 years ago, and we're thrilled to continue our work with
Google Cloud to bring a new wave of innovation to the drive-thru
experience," said Todd
Penegor, President and CEO of Wendy's. "Google Cloud's
generative AI technology creates a huge opportunity for us to deliver a truly
differentiated, faster and frictionless experience for our customers, and
allows our employees to continue focusing on making great food and building
relationships with fans that keep them coming back time and again."
In June, Wendy's plans to launch its first pilot of Google
Cloud's AI technology in a Columbus,
OH-area, Company-operated restaurant, using those learnings to
inform future expansions to more Wendy's drive-thrus. The pilot will include
new generative AI offerings, such as Vertex AI and more, to have conversations
with customers, the ability to understand made-to-order requests and generate
responses to frequently asked questions.
This
will all be powered by Google's foundational LLMs that have the data from
Wendy's menu, established business rules and logic for conversation guardrails,
and integration with restaurant hardware and the Point of Sale system. By
leveraging generative AI, Wendy's seeks to take the complexity out of the
ordering process so employees can focus on serving up fast, fresh-made, quality
food and exceptional service.
"Wendy's
has always been at the forefront of innovation, and we're thrilled to build
upon our partnership with the company with our new generative AI
technologies," said Thomas
Kurian, CEO at Google Cloud. "Generative AI is fundamentally
changing how people interact with brands, and we anticipate Wendy's integration
of Google Cloud's generative AI technology will set a new standard for great
drive-thru experiences for the quick-service industry."
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