Artificial intelligence is coming to greater than 100 drive-thru lanes at White Castle, the quick meals hamburger chain that invented the “slider” in 1921.
The firm introduced Tuesday that the mission will faucet into the proprietary voice AI expertise of SoundHound and digital signage from Samsung Electronics America to ship a state-of-the-art buyer ordering expertise.
“With White Castle cravers everywhere hungry for our hot and tasty menu options, we are investing in processing orders at the drive-thru even more swiftly,” firm Vice President of Operations Services Mike Guinan mentioned in a press release.
“By working with tech innovators at SoundHound and Samsung, we’ve been able to create an engaging ordering experience that customers are loving,” he continued. “It’s the model for tomorrow today — and evidence of how friendly technology and great partners can be a game changer.”
White Castle, which has about 350 places nationwide, introduced its plans to deliver SoundHound to 100 of its drive-thrus in August after a profitable pilot in 2020, however now Samsung will add a visible element to the mission.
“In uniting our extensive voice AI expertise with Samsung’s MagicINFO display technology, we’ve created a first-class interactive experience for White Castle’s drive-thru customers,” SoundHound Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer James Hom mentioned in a press release.
“We look forward to finding new opportunities to partner to unlock the power of digital outdoor signage and turn menus into interactive restaurant portals with almost limitless possibilities,” he added.
Dynamic, Interactive Menus
Such portals may make staid, static menus a factor of the previous. “The menu will become more dynamic,” SoundHound Head of Channel Partnerships Mike Lauricella instructed TechNewsWorld.
(Video Credit: SoundHound AI)
“With voice AI, you might be able to pull up to a drive-thru display and ask for only gluten-free items or all the special deals of the day or what’s the best value for $10?” he mentioned. “You would have greater control over the menu portal.”
“There are a lot of drive-thrus in this world, but there are also informational kiosks and other applications where there is a screen that could benefit from voice AI to be more responsive and interactive with a customer,” he added. “Whether it be ordering or information, there’s a lot of directions this could go.”
“With MagicINFO, Samsung is helping transform menu boards from simple, static displays to personalized, easy-to-navigate experiences for the customer that also deliver business benefits to the restaurant,” the corporate’s Senior Vice President of the Display & Home Entertainment Division James Fishler mentioned in a press release.
“By integrating SoundHound’s AI-driven voice technology, we’re providing an extraordinary experience for White Castle customers when it comes to enjoying what they love,” he continued. “This is just the beginning of a relationship that will propel their brand to the cutting-edge of customer experiences powered by innovation.”
Happier Employees
By deploying a voice AI ordering system, White Castle hopes to benefit from the potential advantages the expertise can deliver to its restaurant operations. For instance, White Castle famous that the AI-enabled system processed orders in slightly below 60 seconds, with 90 % order completion charges that exceeded earlier staff-based benchmarks.
“An AI-enabled drive-thru adds a higher level of efficiency, a higher level of order accuracy,” Lauricella noticed. “It allows the staff in the store to focus on the customers in the store and make great food in a very consistent way.”
“We get constant feedback from the White Castle stores where we deploy our systems that the staff is more efficient,” he added. “They’re happier, too. Hiring is tough, so the more enjoyable you can make the day-to-day job of your team, the longer you’re going to keep people. That’s a high priority for White Castle.”
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AI techniques are environment friendly as a result of the order entry goes straight into the system, famous Bob Bilbruck, CEO of Captjur, a method, consulting, digital, expertise growth and channel packages supplier in Irvine, Calif.
“You don’t have input errors or other things,” he instructed TechNewsWorld. “The only issue is if there’s a change in an order, but the systems are getting better at that, too.”
He added that AI is decreasing margins and working prices within the quick-service restaurant trade. “In fast food, that’s everything right now,” he mentioned. “Margins are so small because the food has to be cheap to make it valuable compared to competitors.”
Favorable ROI
An AI system also can present a sequence with real-time intelligence about its enterprise. For instance, the system can correlate orders to latest promoting campaigns or limited-time affords.
“That can be done without AI, but you lose the real-time element,” Lauricella acknowledged. “The process would be more manual and might not get done because of all the things a team member has to do.”
Integrating the AI techniques with the point-of-sale techniques is getting simpler, too, Bilbruck added. “Some POS systems offer SDKs, but all of them offer APIs that allow the AI systems to feed into the POS system,” he mentioned.
He defined that the techniques even have a positive ROI for the companies that set up them. “We’re seeing automation pay itself off within the first year of the investment,” he mentioned. “The systems are really not that expensive. They’re really cost-effective compared to the operational cost of one or two full-time employees.”
“A lot of chatbots are taking over now for an actual human being,” he added. “If they have a problem with an order, they’ll transfer the customer to a human being, but most of the time, it’s all automated.”
“Many of the fast food restaurants in Southern California are putting these systems in place because it’s more cost-effective than having a human being there,” he famous.
Workers Feel More Human
Most automated techniques being put in now are AI-enabled, Bilbruck continued. “The cool part about that is that over time, they get more intelligent about questions from customers and the nuances of orders,” he noticed. “Within a year, they’re well trained enough to not have any issues or problems.”
While a lot has been written about AI costing staff jobs, Lauricella maintained that hasn’t been the case at White Castle. “They haven’t reduced employment in any way,” he mentioned. “If you go to any White Castle today, you’re going to see a help wanted sign. Hiring is still a huge challenge.”
Concerns have additionally been raised in some quarters that elevated automation will take away the human contact within the restaurant enterprise.
“I asked a team member at White Castle that question,” Lauricella recalled. “She said, ‘Before, I’d be on the headset. I’d be fussing with things. I’d be talking to someone in the drive-thru and talking to someone in the store. Now, I can do one thing. I can focus on the person I’m interacting with, whether it be a customer or team member, and give them my full attention. This allows me to be more human at the end of the day.’”