French firms Acrelec and XXII have teamed up to provide fast-food outlets with computer vision analytics for drive-throughs.

Restaurant operators will now have access to a platform that combines AI computer vision with timer technology to track the customer journey and alleviate roadblocks in the drive-through.

Acrelec specialises in fast-food outlet technology. XXII is a computer vision software publishing company. Together, they are providing restaurant brands with analytics for drive-throughs.

The combined platform leverages camera technology as the primary source of detection with end-to-end tracking of customer vehicles entering a brand’s property. The technology provides insights into operations, streamlining efficiencies and boosting revenue.

Drive-through is one of the most significant sales drivers for fast-food brands, but congested traffic and long wait times threaten the customer experience. Existing sensor-based set-ups have limits in that they are stable and robust in a standard drive-through layout with identifiable detection points but become ineffective in an environment with queue-busting tablets, parked cars and various other blind spots.

The XXII and Acrelec platform uses video streams around the restaurant to monitor customer vehicles’ interactions with a brand. The cameras link to Acrelec’s QTimer 2.0, an in-store dashboard that provides real-time analysis of drive-through operations represented on a drive lane user interface.

XXII’s AI computer vision technology integrates directly with QTimer 2.0 to provide complete coverage of a brand’s drive-through operations, from arrival on the property and parking behaviour to drive-through tracking and drive-off. This will provide restaurant operators with accurate data on their drive-through performance, enabling them to make insight-based decisions and enhance the customer experience.

“As innovators, we are constantly observing how customers interact with the brands they love and develop new ways for those brands to create more efficient and memorable experiences for their customers,” said Andrew Nosal, Acrelec global product manager. “As a leader in the AI computer vision space with proven solutions for smart cities, XXII’s expertise is uniquely positioned to complement Acrelec’s drive-through monitoring and fast-food technology. We are confident the partnership between our companies will provide brands with unparalleled insights and accuracy on how their customers interact with their respective brands.”

Due to the expansiveness of this camera-based offering, brands will no longer need to rely on in-ground sensors to monitor drive-through activity. The technology can completely replace the need for antiquated in-ground loop technology or work with them for a hybrid option to improve accuracy.

The combination can either integrate with existing security cameras or newly installed cameras to monitor anywhere a vehicle can go on the property, including arrival and departure, parking and pull-forward, full drive-through, and drive-off coverage. Restaurant owners have flexibility in what they want to monitor.

“Our intelligent computer vision technology with Acrelec’s QTimer 2.0 takes the guesswork out of drive-through optimisation and ensures a consistent experience for every customer,” said William Eldin, XXII CEO. “Brands that previously could not attain these precise analytics with existing timers can now have them through this new partnership and the flexibility to control the extent to which they want to optimise their operations.”

The two firms plan to continue adding features to the platform. Later next year, they are slated to roll out a feature that will automatically sequence vehicles before the pickup points to improve order accuracy and the guest experience.

Serving nearly 70 global customers – including iconic brands such as McDonald’s and Dunkin – Acrelec counts over 80,000 installations and 1000 employees globally, bringing its technology ecosystem for drive-throughs, self-order kiosks, self-checkouts, and click and collect to people worldwide.