What the business is
Fast-food chain deploying a voice AI ordering assistant in its drive-thrus
The bet
A voice AI assistant can take drive-thru orders at hundreds of Taco Bell restaurants
How it started
Taco Bell announced in 2024 plans to put an AI voice assistant in hundreds of drive-thrus. Other fast-food chains such as McDonald's, Wendy's and White Castle were also experimenting with AI ordering.
What happened
By August 2025 Taco Bell had deployed the technology in over 500 US locations, according to the WSJ. Customers aired their frustrations on social media and others posted videos of trolling the system, including ordering 18,000 water cups.
How it ended up
Chief digital and technology officer Dane Mathews told the WSJ the company was re-evaluating where to deploy it and said, 'We're learning a lot.' He said Taco Bell still planned to push ahead with AI voice and evaluate data, but using AI alone at very busy restaurants with long lines might not be a good idea.
What has to be true
Customers complained about the system on social media
People trolled it, for example by ordering 18,000 water cups
Taco Bell found AI alone might not suit very busy restaurants with long lines
Mathews said the system sometimes let him down, so outcomes varied by site
What can be applied
A voice AI that works in pilots meets abuse and edge cases at scale, so deployment has to match it to the sites where an error costs least.
Aftermath
As of 2025-08-28, Taco Bell had AI ordering in over 500 US drive-thrus and was re-evaluating where to deploy it, while continuing to evaluate data and push ahead with voice AI.
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