Who will take your next drive-thru order?

As the holiday season rolls around, your next drive-thru trip may be greeted with a very familiar “ho, ho, ho”.

Presto Automation introduced a new automated custom voice feature for its product, Presto Voice, which will allow restaurants to use almost any voice when assisting customers in a drive-thru. Presto Voice uses artificial intelligence to automate speech recognition. The new feature will allow restaurants to use the voices of celebrities, brand mascots, seasonal characters and more.

In a written statement by Rajat Suri, founder and CEO of Presto, he said: “Automation technology doesn’t have to be boring or impersonal […] We are proud to bring this highly innovative automation solution that delivers exciting guest experiences while improving staff productivity.” The goal of Presto is not only to help restaurants improve efficiency through the use of AI, but it is also to improve the customer experience.

Over the past year, Presto Voice has been a major help to restaurants facing challenges caused by worker shortages. Christina Perez, general manager of a Checkers location in Florida, gave a testimonial in which she described Presto Voice as an added employee. Christina said having Presto Voice is like having two dedicated drive-thru employees, one taking orders and the other taking the cash.

The use of AI, in restaurant businesses and across all other platforms, is still relatively new. When asked about the use of voice AI technology in restaurants, Vinay Shukla, co-founder and CEO of ConverseNow, said: “Food ordering becomes even more nuanced and drive-thru is complex. Even the best AI platforms may still need human help. What happens when there are birds chirping, kids screaming and engine noise? This is still a new space and market that companies like us created.”