White Castle's AI Drive-Thru:100 Locations by 2024

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The latest addition to the list of fast-food chains replacing human staff with voice bots in their drive-thru lanes is White Castle. The chain announced that it will deploy SoundHound's AI-powered voice bots in 100 drive-thru lanes by the end of 2024. This move comes as the restaurant industry faces challenges related to labor shortages and high turnover rates. This prompted an increasing number of chains to adopt automation tools, including AI and robotics.

White Castle among many to have AI drive-thrus

White Castle is part of a growing trend, as seven other national chains have also adopted conversational bots to process their drive-thru orders. For instance, McDonald’s has been testing AI-powered ordering in its drive-thru lanes since 2019. Business Wire reported that in 2022, Checkers and Rally's was one of the first major chains to widely implement AI-powered voice assistants. As of August 2023, voice AI is operational in 390 out of the 803 Checkers and Rally's restaurants. Additionally, several other chains, including Popeyes, Panera Bread, Taco Bell, Del Taco, Carl's Jr., and Hardee's, are also incorporating AI and voice technology into their drive-thru operations.

The adoption of technology and automation to address labor shortages is a growing trend. Approximately 58% of restaurant operators expect this approach to become more common in the current year, according to the 2023 State of the Restaurant Industry Report by the National Restaurant Association.

What sets their AI-powered voice systems apart

In a news release, SoundHound emphasized that its tech is entirely automated and does not rely on human assistance. This sets it apart from other AI-powered voice systems. This means it relies solely on intelligent automation to provide fast, accurate, scalable, and consistent service across various locations and channels. This includes kiosks, phones, and other devices.

The AI tech company shared a video on Twitter how the drive-thru would work. They wrote, "Check out SoundHound’s powered voice AI ordering technology at one of the @WhiteCastle drive-thru locations." They also announced that this technology will be live in over 100 locations by the end of 2024.

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Kayla is the midday host on Detroit’s 105.1 The Bounce. She started her career in radio back in 2016 as an intern at another Detroit station and worked her way here. She's made stops in Knoxville, TN, Omaha, Ne and other places before returning to Detroit. She’s done almost everything in radio from promotions to web, creating content on social media, you name it. She’s a true Michigander, born and raised. So, you can catch her camping or vacationing up north to exploring the downtown Detroit or maybe even catching a sports game. During her free time, Kayla enjoys watching movies, roller-skating, crafting, and music festivals. She and her husband together dip into many of the great things Michigan has to offer. Together they also like to travel. A few hobbies of hers include wine and beer tastings, crafting, hiking, roller skating, movies, home improvement projects, gardening, and festivals. She’s always looking to take on more local events happening in the community. She loves connecting with the community. When writing, Kayla covers topics including lifestyle, pop culture, trending stories, hacks, and urban culture.