Louisville, KY, July 31, 2024 – Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) has announced a significant expansion of Voice AI technology across Taco Bell drive-thru locations in the United States. The company plans to implement this advanced technology in hundreds of stores by the end of 2024, with future aspirations to extend it to drive-thrus of its other brands worldwide.
The deployment of Voice AI technology is already in progress, with more than 100 Taco Bell drive-thrus across 13 states currently utilizing the system. This initiative aims to enhance the ordering process for consumers while improving back-of-house operations for team members. Key benefits include reducing team member workload, increasing order accuracy, providing a consistent and friendly experience, and minimizing wait times, all of which contribute to profitable growth for Taco Bell, Yum! Brands, and their franchisees.
“Yum! Brands is integrating digital and technology into all aspects of our business with exciting new capabilities, and AI is a core piece of that strategy,” said Lawrence Kim, Chief Innovation Officer, Yum! Brands. “We’re expanding and accelerating our AI capabilities like Voice AI to deliver leading-edge technologies to our franchisees and to enhance the consumer and team member experience. With over two years of fine-tuning and testing the drive-thru Voice AI technology, we’re confident in its effectiveness in optimizing operations and enhancing customer satisfaction.”
The collaboration between Yum! Brands and Taco Bell has been instrumental in refining this technology. Input from Taco Bell franchisees has been crucial in ensuring that Voice AI benefits both team members and consumers. The technology integrates seamlessly with Taco Bell’s existing drive-thru customer experience infrastructure, which includes digital menu boards, Yum! Brands’ proprietary Poseidon POS system, and the next generation of the Taco Bell Rewards loyalty program set to launch later this year. This holistic approach leverages feedback, data, and insights to enhance consumer relationships, emphasizing intuitive, user-friendly technology to create a seamless ordering experience.
“Innovation is ingrained in our DNA at Taco Bell, and we view Voice AI as a means to improve the team member and consumer experiences,” said Dane Mathews, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Taco Bell. “Tapping into AI gives us the ability to ease team members’ workloads, freeing them to focus on front-of-house hospitality. It also enables us to unlock new and meaningful ways to engage with our customers.”
In addition to the expansion across Taco Bell U.S. drive-thrus, Yum! Brands is also testing Voice AI technology in five KFC restaurants in Australia. Early feedback from these locations has been overwhelmingly positive from both consumers and restaurant team members.
Yum! Brands has been at the forefront of digital and technological innovation, both by acquiring and creating new technologies and partnering with leading tech firms. This global scale enables the company to enhance consumer and team member experiences while driving profitable growth for franchisees.
The successful scaling of Yum! Brands’ suite of proprietary technologies globally marked a significant milestone in 2023. By the end of the year, Yum!’s digital sales approached $30 billion, with over 50% of its sales coming through digital channels as of the first quarter of 2024. The company’s digital business has more than doubled since 2019, underscoring the effectiveness of its digital ecosystem in meeting evolving consumer needs worldwide.
With the ongoing expansion of Voice AI technology, Yum! Brands is poised to revolutionize the fast-food industry, ensuring more accurate orders, happier customers, and a more efficient drive-thru experience.
