McDonald’s Corp. is making a bet it can automate drive-thru orders with a new McDonald order processing system.
The world’s biggest restaurant company is buying startup Apprente Inc. This is a developer of voice-recognition technology for use in the restaurant industry to help speed up lines. The idea is to eventually have a machine, instead of a person, on the other side of the intercom. The machine will relay orders to kitchen staff with accuracy. In Chicago-area restaurants where the system is already being tested, employees still oversee drive-thru order-taking and can step in when needed.
The acquisition is McDonald’s third tech deal in the past six months. It fits into the company’s push to lean more heavily on machines and artificial intelligence to boost sales. McDonald’s is also using Apprente’s headquarters in Mountain View, California — also home to Google owner Alphabet Inc. — to start a tech lab, with plans to add employees there.
