AI in fast-food drive-thrus is no longer a test. It’s creeping into millions of orders. In 2024, about 4 percent of U.S. fast-food locations used voice AI for drive-thru orders. That number jumped from 5 percent last year and now edges toward 6 percent.
Taco Bell leads the pack. As of July 2026, 890 of its drive-thru lanes—over 10 percent of its U.S. locations—use AI to take orders. White Castle isn’t far behind, with 12 percent of its restaurants staffed by an AI named “Julia.” Every new White Castle opens with Julia at the helm.
McDonald’s kicked off this trend in 2019 by buying Apprete, a startup focused on AI for drive-thrus. It created McD Tech Labs to develop the tech but eventually sold the division to IBM—and then dropped the AI program altogether.
The results? Mixed, at best. Research from Intouch Insight found AI drive-thrus less friendly and less accurate than humans. Customers have caught AI glitches on video—orders with 260 Chicken McNuggets or bacon on ice cream, and one customer ordered 18,000 cups of water to confuse the system.
Still, speed is the AI’s trump card. Jamie Richardson, White Castle’s chief marketing officer, says AI drive-thrus beat the industry average by 21 seconds per order. “It wasn’t bad at the start,” Richardson admits. The AI helps run smoother shifts and speeds service.
Not all chains are sold. Del Taco tested AI in 2024 but reversed course and rolled it back. Meanwhile, Dairy Queen, White Castle, and Taco Bell quietly expand their AI tests despite the hiccups.
Most customers don’t expect an AI voice at the drive-thru. Their surprise often ends up on TikTok or Snapchat, showing the odd, amusing, or frustrating AI interactions.
Sarah Beckett from Intouch Insight sums it up: “The brands who have invested and who have been testing this heavily over the last three years—the technology has gotten to a point where they are ready to go.” Ready or not, AI is lining up behind the speaker at the drive-thru window.
Based on
- AI Conquered Coding. Fast Food Is Next — wired.com
- Fast-food execs keep pushing for AI, but fail to see the big picture: Customers still want humans | Fortune — fortune.com
- Everyone Is Freaking Out About OpenAI and Anthropic’s Race for Dominance | WIRED — wired.com
- I Got a Free Meal From a Private Chef—Who Filmed It All to Train Robots | WIRED — wired.com
