Checkers and Rally’s Utilizing AI Chatbots for Spanish-Language Food Orders
Checkers and Rally’s restaurants have introduced an AI-powered Spanish ordering system, making it the first of its kind, as announced by Checkers restaurants. The system, developed by Hi Auto, has already been implemented in 350 restaurants after successfully completing a two-month beta testing phase at five locations. This service aims to create a more inclusive environment by catering to Spanish speakers, although its acceptance by customers and employees is yet to be determined.
The system takes orders through a virtual assistant and recognizes the customer’s spoken language, automatically switching between English and Spanish. Hi Auto says it has “unique customization features” that allow franchisees to easily scale the system. The company promises to make ordering more efficient with over 95 percent order accuracy.
“The expanded partnership with Checkers and Rally’s represents a huge breakthrough for the nation’s Spanish-speaking and bilingual communities, enabling any restaurant to serve the Spanish-speaking population at any time,” said Hi Auto CEO Roy Baharav.
However, receiving AI push orders presents a unique challenge due to the environment, which tends to be noisy and chaotic. “You might think driving by and talking to a drive-by is an easy problem for AI, but it’s actually one of the hardest,” Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian recently told The Wall Street Journal, referring to the company’s recent collaboration with Wendy’s. And the technology is not necessarily reliable either. The WSJ reported that three out of 10 people using AI systems asked to speak to an employee because of errors or a desire to speak with a person.
Hi Auto is also up against some giants. One of the first companies to embrace the technology was McDonald’s, which partnered with IBM to speed up its own AI ordering systems and began testing them in 10 Chicago-area restaurants last year. It also competes with Google Cloud, which tests its systems at White Castle on Wendy.
However, the system offers features that restaurant chains want. According to CNN, it can “relentlessly sell” items like deserts and French fries, leading to higher orders. It can also allow restaurants to cut back, improving their bottom line but reducing the number of jobs for young people. According to a recent study by Intouch Insight, the restaurant that received the highest customer service scores last year was Chick-fil-A, thanks in part to its face-to-face ordering system.
