DAIRY QUEEN ROLLS OUT AI CHATBOTS AT DRIVE-THRUS

The chatbots are built by Presto, an AI company that already serves Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Taco John's, and Fazoli's. According to the Wall Street Journal, Dairy Queen's system is designed to encourage customers to add more items to their orders while reducing wait times. The rollout represents the latest expansion of AI in fast food operations. Quick-service restaurants have increasingly adopted automated ordering systems to handle labor shortages and improve efficiency during peak hours. Presto's technology uses natural language processing to take orders and make menu recommendations. The company's existing partnerships demonstrate the scalability of its platform across different restaurant concepts. Dairy Queen's move reflects broader industry trends toward automation in customer-facing roles. The technology complements rather than replaces human staff, handling initial order processing before transactions move to workers.