See how McDonald's, Subway, Chipotle and other chains are using robots and AI to make faster orders with fewer workers

• McDonald's, Subway, and Panera Bread recently unveiled new takeout and drive-thru tech.
• They join a slew of chains adding tech to help with labor shortages and digital orders.

McDonald's and Subway recently unveiled new contactless technology for takeout and drive-thru orders.

The nation's two largest fast food chains in terms of locations are joining a fray of restaurant companies betting big on innovation that involves faster service and fewer humans amid an ongoing labor shortage.

Chipotle, Domino's, and Checkers & Rally's are using AI-powered voice bots to take orders, while fast-casual chains like Sweetgreen are adding drive-thru lanes designated for faster pickup of digital orders.

Fast-tracking automation comes as the labor outlook continues to look grim for the industry. On Friday, new Labor Department data shows that the restaurant industry is still short 400,000 workers compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Here's a look at the 12 chains adding tech to augment labor and speed up service for digital customers.

Chipotle opened its first Chipotlane in 2018. The format store has a drive-thru lane dedicated to mobile pickup orders. It was designed to increase the speed of pickup orders for consumers and delivery drivers. Soon chains across the US began to copy Chipotle.

A Chipotlane in Costa Mesa, California.      Nancy Luna

The Chipotlane restaurant became a money-maker, demonstrating "higher volumes and greater returns" than a traditional store, Chipotle said in September when it opened its 500th restaurant with a mobile drive-thru lane. Next year, the chain said 80% of its planned 255 to 285 new restaurants will have Chipotlanes.

Chipotle

In mid-November, the fast-casual chain Sweetgreen opened its first restaurant with a drive-thru pick-up lane. The salad chain is calling the new design feature a Sweetlane.

Sweetlane rendering      Sweetgreen

In June, Chick-fil-A said it began testing a drive-thru express experience for customers. Restaurants with express lanes allow mobile app customers to bypass the traditional drive-thru line to pick up their meals.

Chick-fil-A is testing express drive-through lanes      Chick-fil-A

Tech companies like ConverseNow are swiftly reshaping how restaurants take phone orders by automating the process with AI-powered virtual assistants. ConverseNow's tech is live in more than 1,250 stores, including Domino's and Fazoli's.

Domino's innovation lab      Nancy Luna

Checkers & Rally's said it became one of the first large restaurant companies to implement widespread use of AI-powered voice assistants. Out of the total 803 Checkers and Rally's restaurants, voice AI is live in 280 of them.

Checkers & Rally's rendering of automated drive-thru      Checkers

Taco Bell's latest drive-thru innovation is aimed at speed of service. The new Taco Bell Defy restaurant opened in June 2022 with four drive-thru lanes in Minnesota. Like a Chipotlane, the design includes designated pick-up lanes for mobile orders.

Taco Bell's new concept at Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.      Taco Bell

In the fall, fast-casual chain Panera Bread began testing AI-powered drive-thru tech at two upstate New York restaurants. An automated bot named "Tori" created by the startup OpenCity takes orders from drive-thru customers.

Panera Bread      Panera Bread

A Popeyes restaurant in Louisiana began testing drive-thru voice bots in April using the same food-tech startup, OpenCity, as Panera. The franchisee said the speed of service has increased by 20% by using the bot. The restaurant's drink sales have also increased by 150% because "Tori" automatically upsells high-margin items such as soda fountain drinks, sides, and desserts.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Restaurant Brands International, the parent of Burger King, recently opened a delivery-focused food hall in Miami, Florida. One central kitchen serves meals from Burger King, Popeyes, Firehouse Subs, and other chains.

Burger King's owner opened KYLO Food Hall in Miami.      RBI

KYLO Food Hall is equipped with kiosks for walk-in orders. No cashiers.

RBI's new food hall      RBI

Last week, McDonald's opened a new format restaurant with an order-ahead lane for picking up digital orders from a food and beverage conveyor.

McDonald's

In September, Subway installed its first unattended smart fridge at UC San Diego in California. Powered by AI, the fridge is stocked with grab & go sandwiches. Customers can talk directly to the smart fridge and ask about any of the products inside, Subway said.

Subway; Jörg Carstensen/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Chili's is replacing grill tops with high-tech grills programmed to automate cook times for burgers, steaks, chicken, and salmon. A medium or "pink in center" burger takes about 50 seconds to cook.

Chili's new one-touch programmable grill      Nancy Luna/Insider

In December 2021, Shake Shack opened its first restaurant with drive-thru lanes in Maple Grove, Minnesota. One lane is dedicated to fetching mobile orders.

Shake Shack

Source: https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/shake-shack-to-open-first-drive-thru-location/610748/

Chipotle began testing AI-powered voice assistants for phone orders in early 2018. The chain is also innovating in the kitchen. This year, the chain began testing Chippy, a tortilla chip-making robot by Miso Robotics.

Chippy is in the back.      Chipotle