Yum! Brands to Expand Voice AI Technology to Hundreds of Taco Bell U.S. Drive-Thru Locations in 2024, with a Future Vision to Bring the Technology to Its Brands’ Drive-Thrus Around the World
31 Julio 2024 - 5:00AM
Business Wire
The Company’s expansion of Voice AI will
modernize its drive-thrus and elevate the experience for consumers
and restaurant team members alike
Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) announced today the expansion of
Voice AI technology across Taco Bell drive-thru locations in the
U.S., targeting hundreds of stores by the end of 2024. The Company
aspires to implement Voice AI technology in drive-thrus at its
brands globally in the future.
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Yum! Brands to Expand Voice AI Technology
to Hundreds of Taco Bell U.S. Drive-Thru Locations in 2024, with a
Future Vision to Bring the Technology to Its Brands’ Drive-Thrus
Around the World (Photo: Business Wire)
The rollout of Voice AI technology in Taco Bell, currently in
more than 100 Taco Bell U.S. drive-thrus across 13 states, is
designed to enhance back-of-house operations for team members and
elevate the order experience for consumers. Benefits include easing
task load for team members, improving order accuracy, providing a
consistent, friendly experience, and reducing wait times, while
driving 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.”
Yum! Brands and Taco Bell have collaborated closely, including
incorporating input from Taco Bell franchisees, so that Voice AI
benefits both team members and consumers. This technology takes
advantage of Taco Bell’s strong drive-thru customer experience
ecosystem, which is powered by digital menu boards, Yum! Brands’
propriety Poseidon POS system and the next generation of the Taco
Bell Rewards loyalty program which the brand is excited to
integrate later this year. The Voice AI technology uses a holistic
approach that leverages feedback, data, and insights to enhance
consumer relationships with an emphasis on 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 of Voice AI across Taco Bell U.S.
drive-thrus, five KFC restaurants in Australia are simultaneously
testing Voice AI technology in drive-thrus, which is also being
positively received by consumers and restaurant team members.
Yum! Brands has been both acquiring and creating technologies,
and in select cases working with leading partners, powered by its
global scale that enable and accelerate easy experiences,
operations and insights for consumers and team members while
driving profitable growth for franchisees. The Company has made
massive strides in scaling its proprietary digital and AI-driven
ecosystem in partnership with franchisees, equipping them with
distinctive capabilities to differentiate its brands.
2023 marked a significant milestone for successfully scaling
Yum! Brands' suite of proprietary technologies globally. In 2023,
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, demonstrating the power of its digital ecosystem and
capabilities to meet changing consumer needs around the world.
About Yum! Brands
Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, and its
subsidiaries franchise or operate a system of over 59,000
restaurants in more than 155 countries and territories under the
company’s concepts – KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and the Habit Burger
Grill. The Company's KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands are global
leaders of the chicken, Mexican-style food, and pizza categories,
respectively. The Habit Burger Grill is a fast casual restaurant
concept specializing in made-to-order chargrilled burgers,
sandwiches and more. In 2024, Yum! was named to the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index North America for the eighth consecutive year,
and the company was recognized among TIME Magazine’s list of Best
Companies for Future Leaders, Newsweek’s list of America’s Most
Responsible Companies and USA Today’s America’s Climate Leaders.
Yum! also received widespread recognition in 2023, including being
listed on the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index; and Forbes’ list of
America’s Best Employers for Diversity. In addition, KFC, Taco Bell
and Pizza Hut brands were ranked in the top five of Entrepreneur’s
Top Global Franchises Ranking for 2023.
About Taco Bell Corp.
For more than 61 years, Bell has brought innovative, craveable
Mexican-inspired food to the masses, and was recently recognized as
one of Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies, one of
TIME’s Most Influential Companies, and Nation’s Restaurant News’
Brand Icon. For more information about Taco Bell, visit our website
at www.TacoBell.com, our Newsroom at www.TacoBell.com/news, or
check out www.TacoBell.com/popular-links. You can also stay up to
date on all things Taco Bell by following us on LinkedIn, TikTok, X
(formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and by subscribing to our
YouTube channel.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240731239498/en/
Members of the media are invited to contact: Rick
Maynard, Yum! Brands, at 502-874-8200 or rick.maynard@yum.com
Natalie Hochberg, Taco Bell, 949-863-3915 or
natalie.hochberg@yum.com
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