White Castle implements AI voice system for drive-thru orders; achieves higher accuracy than humans

Customers at select White Castle locations in St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Merrillville, Indiana, may place orders with Julia, the restaurant's new artificial intelligence voice assistant.

By Sakina Kaukawala

Published on Jun 18, 2024 | 03:57 PM IST | 21.9K

Image Courtesy: Wikimedia commons

At certain White Castle locations in St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Merrillville, Indiana, you can now place your order by chatting with Julia, their new AI voice assistant. Julia is part of a growing trend among fast-food giants such as Taco Bell and McDonald's, which are incorporating voice-recognition AI into their drive-thrus as per Business Insider.

The goal is to increase efficiency by freeing up workers for more important tasks or lowering labor costs. However, while AI in drive-thrus is gaining traction, there are still obstacles to overcome before it becomes widespread.

Current usage and expansion plans

Jamie Richardson, White Castle's VP of marketing and public relations, revealed that the company will begin using SoundHound's AI voice-recognition services in Merrillville in 2022. Since then, the chain has expanded the technology to 15 restaurants, with some featuring multiple drive-thru lanes. By the end of 2024, White Castle hopes to have the AI system in more than 100 drive-thru lanes.

Richardson shared that the system was introduced to relieve staff stress from multitasking and to reduce customer pressure to order quickly. He assured that the implementation of AI has not resulted in fewer working hours; instead, employees are now focused on food preparation and interacting with customers at the pick-up window.

Accuracy and customer experience

SoundHound claims that its artificial intelligence system is more accurate than human cashiers. Ben Bellettini, SoundHound's senior vice president of restaurant sales, said, “We’re more accurate than a human.” He also stated that more than 90% of orders processed by AI do not require human intervention.

If a customer prefers to speak with a human, they can do so, but most interactions are entirely AI-driven. This system is intended to streamline the ordering process by eliminating the need for customers to wait for a cashier or manually enter orders.

Despite the promising aspects of AI in drive-thrus, there are some significant challenges. Last year, Presto Automations reported that more than 70% of its AI orders required human assistance, indicating room for improvement.

Furthermore, McDonald's received criticism on platforms such as TikTok for issues with its AI drive-thru, prompting them to end their partnership with IBM and withdraw the technology. Critics are also concerned about the potential job losses from increased AI implementation in the restaurant industry.

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