'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Wendy's, the famous fast-food restaurant chain, is expanding the use of an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. The brand is going to switch their human drive-thru operators with AI to take customer’s orders by the end of the year.
Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner, during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday, February 13, 2025, revealed that the restaurant chain will employ AI to take drive-thru orders. FreshAI will be taking orders instead of a real person at nearly 6,000 brand locations in the US by the end of this year.
Wendy's new move with AI
The fast-food restaurant chain is one of the latest companies to hop on the AI bandwagon by bringing voice-enabled assistance for order—taking in up to 600 of its restaurants across the country.
Kirk Tanner, President and Chief Executive Officer of the fast food chain, said in the press release:
“I am proud of our fourth quarter performance, delivering a strong quarter while outpacing the category. This resulted in our 14th consecutive year of global same-restaurant sales growth.”
Speaking on Wendy’s future, Kirk added:
“We are well positioned to accelerate growth, and we have a clear roadmap for Wendy's future. I am excited about the opportunities ahead of us as we strengthen our system across the globe.”
How is FreshAI different?
According to People magazine's report dated February 18, 2025, Kirk Tanner said FreshAI allows customers to build their orders as well as understand what to ask for. The Chief Executive Officer of the fast food brand also noted that the accuracy of the AI assistant is improving. The accuracy in AI is an area of great concern and has reportedly before caused problems for other restaurants employing the system in their ordering processes.
The publication further stated that during the February 13 earnings call, Tanner also revealed that the food chain might expand the use of voice AI to Wendy’s’ entire network if the introduction of the voice assistant FreshAI goes well in 2025.
“It's got a bright future.”
Tanner also confirmed that the brand plans to move forward with the implementation of FreshAI quickly. Wendy's currently uses its AI voice assistant in around 100 Wendy’s locations. As per the CEO, the brand plans to expand its use to 500 to 600 by the end of this year. Notably, FreshAI’s testing first began in 2023.
About Wendy's
Founded in the year 1969, Wendy's is a chain of fast-food restaurants that serves burgers, chicken, desserts, and more. This year, the brand has brought its fan-favorite Frosty with a new offering called Thin Mints Frosty.
As a licensed partner of Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), the brand is serving up the limited-time Thin Mints Frosty in its restaurants in the US, starting February 21, 2025. This new sweet treat is made available just in time to celebrate the beloved National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend, which is recognised in the US. It is when Girl Scout Cookies are widely made available to customers across the country.
