Dairy Queen is bringing AI voice assistants to dozens of drive-thrus across the US and Canada, making it the latest fast food chain to automate order-taking. The rollout, powered by Presto, aims to speed up service while nudging customers to add more items to their carts. But there's a catch - the "AI" might not be as automated as it seems, with reports suggesting human workers in the Philippines assist the system behind the scenes.
Your next Blizzard order might come with a side of artificial intelligence. Dairy Queen just announced it's rolling out AI-powered voice assistants to dozens of drive-thrus across North America, joining a growing list of fast food chains betting big on automation to solve labor shortages and boost sales.
The partnership with Presto, announced this week via Business Wire, follows pilot testing last year that apparently went well enough to justify a wider launch. The voice AI system is designed to do two things: process orders faster and subtly encourage customers to add more items. "Encourage customers to add more food to their orders," as The Wall Street Journal put it - a polite way of saying the AI will upsell you.
Presto isn't exactly new to the drive-thru game. The company has already deployed its voice technology at chains including Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Taco John's, and Fazoli's, positioning itself as the go-to provider for fast food automation. For restaurant operators struggling with high turnover and rising labor costs, the pitch is compelling: a voice assistant that never calls in sick, never needs breaks, and can handle the dinner rush without breaking a sweat.
But here's where things get interesting. In 2023, a Bloomberg investigation pulled back the curtain on Presto's operations, revealing that what customers think is pure AI might actually be assisted by human workers based in countries like the Philippines. The report suggested that when the AI struggles to understand orders - which happens more often than companies like to admit - human operators jump in to help.
This revelation raises questions about what we mean when we talk about AI automation in consumer-facing applications. Is it really automation if humans are monitoring and intervening? The answer matters, especially as more chains rush to deploy similar systems. The cost savings and efficiency gains look very different if you're still paying human workers overseas versus running a fully autonomous system.
For Dairy Queen, the timing makes sense. The fast food industry has been in an arms race to automate since the pandemic accelerated labor challenges. McDonald's famously tested AI ordering with IBM before eventually shutting it down. Other chains have experimented with everything from robotic fry cooks to AI-powered menu boards that change based on weather and time of day.
The upselling angle is particularly noteworthy. Traditional drive-thru workers often skip suggestive selling during rush periods because it slows things down. An AI system, by contrast, can be programmed to offer add-ons to every single customer without the social awkwardness or time pressure that humans feel. "Would you like to add a side?" becomes a guaranteed part of every transaction.
From a business perspective, the economics are straightforward. If Presto's system can increase average order value by even a few percentage points while maintaining or improving speed, it pays for itself quickly. Drive-thru accounts for the majority of sales at most fast food chains, making it the highest-leverage area for optimization.
What's less clear is how customers will react. Early adopters of AI ordering systems have reported mixed experiences - some smooth and efficient, others frustrating when the AI misunderstands accents or complex customizations. The technology has improved dramatically, but it's still not perfect.
The industry is watching closely. If Dairy Queen's rollout goes smoothly and delivers measurable results, expect a wave of similar deployments across regional and national chains. If customers revolt or the technology proves unreliable, it could slow the rush to automation.
For now, Dairy Queen is making its bet. The chain operates thousands of locations globally, and while the initial deployment covers "dozens" of drive-thrus, the infrastructure for rapid expansion is clearly being built. Presto's multi-chain client base also means improvements and learnings from one deployment can quickly spread to others.
The human-in-the-loop question remains unresolved in this announcement. Neither Dairy Queen nor Presto has publicly clarified whether the current system still relies on overseas workers or if it's now fully automated. That distinction matters for labor implications, cost structures, and the honest marketing of what customers are actually interacting with.
Dairy Queen's AI drive-thru rollout represents the fast food industry's aggressive push toward automation, but the real test comes when thousands of customers start interacting with the system daily. The technology's success hinges not just on speed and accuracy, but on whether it can genuinely improve the customer experience while delivering the upselling and efficiency gains that justify the investment. And until Presto clarifies how much human assistance still powers these "AI" systems, the industry will keep debating whether we're witnessing true automation or just a clever reorganization of human labor. Either way, the next time you order through a Dairy Queen drive-thru, don't be surprised if the voice taking your order sounds just a little too smooth.
