Burger chain Wendy’s is piloting Google Cloud’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology to create a quicker and more consistent drive-through ordering experience.

Wendy’s FreshAI is designed to revolutionise the fast-food restaurant industry. The technology has the potential to transform Wendy’s drive-through food ordering experience with Google Cloud’s generative AI and large language models (LLMs) technology.

With 75 to 80 per cent of Wendy’s customers choosing drive-through 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 customise their orders and food is prepared when ordered, 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-through that is intended to enhance the experience 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-through experience,” said Todd Penegor, 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.”

Next month, Wendy’s plans to launch its first pilot of Google Cloud’s AI technology in a Columbus, Ohio, company-operated restaurant, using those learnings to inform future expansions to more Wendy’s drive-throughs. The pilot will include 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 food and 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-through experiences for the quick-service industry.”

This update builds on Google Cloud’s and Wendy’s long-standing partnership to enhance the Wendy’s experience. Since 2021, Wendy’s has leveraged Google Cloud’s data analytics, AI, machine learning and hybrid cloud tools to make it faster, easier and more convenient for customers to access the brand.

Wendy’s was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Wendy’s is best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers. Today, Wendy’s and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across approximately 7000 fast-food outlets worldwide.