Taco Bell Re-evaluates AI Use in Drive-Thru Service

“Portrait of Madame X - graph animation of knowledge graph” — Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.

“Portrait of Madame X - graph animation of knowledge graph” — Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.

“Portrait of Madame X - graph animation of knowledge graph” — Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.

“Portrait of Madame X - graph animation of knowledge graph” — Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.

Spread of Comical AI Errors

Re-evaluating AI Use: Taco Bell is re-evaluating its use of artificial intelligence in its drive-thru service in the United States. This re-evaluation comes after widespread viral videos highlighted comical errors made by the technology, which were viewed by millions online.

System Errors: For instance, one clip showed a customer reportedly crashing the system by ordering 18,000 cups of water, and in another clip, a customer's frustration grew after the AI system repeatedly asked him to add more drinks to his order.

AI Implementation: Since 2023, this fast-food chain has adopted AI-powered technology in over 500 U.S. locations, with the primary goal of reducing errors and speeding up order taking. However, AI implementation appears to have backfired at times.

Taco Bell's Statements on AI Challenges

Deployment Challenges: Dean Matthews, Taco Bell's Chief Digital and Technology Officer, told The Wall Street Journal that the deployment of voice AI faced significant challenges. He added, 'Sometimes it lets me down, but sometimes it really surprises me.'

Lessons Learned: He also explained that the company is 'learning a lot' from this experience, but he will carefully reconsider where AI will be used in the future, emphasizing not using it in drive-thru service. Mr. Matthews indicated that human efficiency might be better for taking orders, especially during peak hours and crowded restaurants.

Human Intervention: In this context, Matthews affirmed: 'We will train teams to identify when to use voice AI, and when it is better to monitor it or intervene manually to ensure a seamless customer experience.'

Recurring Issues and Past Experiences (McDonald's)

Customer Complaints: Online issues are escalating as dissatisfied customers turn to social media platforms to complain about the service, highlighting frequent malfunctions.

Examples of Errors: An Instagram video, viewed over 21.5 million times, shows a man ordering a 'large Mountain Dew' and the AI technology constantly responding with 'What will you drink with that?' This is not the first time AI technology has faced issues processing food and beverage orders.

McDonald's Experience: Last year, McDonald's withdrew its AI system from its drive-thru service after the technology misinterpreted customer orders. Errors included a customer mistakenly receiving bacon added to their ice cream, and another having hundreds of dollars worth of chicken nuggets added to their order by mistake (Source: The Guardian, April 2, 2025; Fast Company, June 18, 2024). McDonald's halted its test of the 'Automated Order Taker' launched in partnership with IBM in 2021 (Source: CBS News, June 17, 2024).

Future of AI in Fast Food

Industry Trends: General trends in the fast-food industry indicate the adoption of AI to address challenges such as labor shortages, rising wage costs, and reduced wait times, especially with the shift towards drive-thru services after the COVID-19 pandemic (Source: CNBC, July 3, 2024; Forbes, October 5, 2023).

Restaurant Solutions: Restaurants are seeking to resolve issues of long wait times, errors, and staff shortages by turning to AI (Source: VoicePlug, May 21, 2025).

AI Successes: Despite the widely publicized issues faced by Taco Bell, the company asserts that two million orders have been successfully processed using its voice AI system since its launch.

Yum! Brands Exploration: Yum! Brands, Taco Bell's parent company, continues to explore the potential of AI to 'improve drive-thru efficiency and back-of-house labor management through real-time analytics and alerts'.

Partnership with Nvidia: Yum! Brands has partnered with Nvidia to use AI to enhance drive-thru and customer service experiences across its brands, including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC (Source: USA Today, March 22, 2025).

Consumer Acceptance Challenges: However, polls show that American consumers remain unconvinced about the viability of using robots for order taking, despite some restaurant chains continuing their investments in these technologies (Source: YouGov, February 25, 2025).