Considering Jersey Mike's reliance on digital sales, it's perhaps no wonder that they're leaning into artificial intelligence. CIO Scott Scherer told Fast Casual last year that 40% of Jersey Mike's total sales come from digital orders. Innovating the customer experience and improving speed of service means more accurate pick-up times for online orders and fresher, warmer products for customers. Other major players in the fast food industry, including McDonald's, Domino's, Checkers, Rally's, Chipotle, Wingstop, and Wendy's, have already started deploying AI voice bots to take orders through drive-thrus and over the phone.
In December, SoundHound acquired SYNQ3 Restaurant Solutions, a voice-based food ordering assistant startup, for $25 million. AI ordering systems have already proven efficient in other chain stores (and have successfully upsold customers to order more items). White Castle Vice President Jamie Richardson said in an interview with Morningstar that the SoundHound voice system is “very interactive, it's less stressful for our employees, it improves order accuracy, and our customers love it.” Stated. (In White Castle, the bot is called Julia.)
Some AI ordering systems take an imaginative approach and use familiar voices that fans already know and love to build positive relationships. At Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken locations in Ohio, the ordering bot uses the voice of sports broadcaster and radio host Keith Byers. Call it playful or scary, either way, you'll be calling it dinner.
