Starbucks and Burger King Roll Out AI Tools to Support Restaurant Staff and Operations

Starbucks has deployed an AI assistant named Green Dot Assist that baristas can ask for recipes or operational guidance. Starbucks COO Mike Grams told Business Insider in January that baristas can now ask Green Dot for recipes or operational guidance instead of fumbling through a computer or sticky laminated pages.

A San Francisco-based Starbucks barista told Business Insider that Green Dot has been hit or miss.

A second Starbucks barista told Business Insider that no one in their store uses Green Dot because they do not trust the AI system to provide proper answers. The barista added that Starbucks changed how internal information is organized to accommodate the bot, making it harder to find answers independently.

A third Starbucks staff member, a shift supervisor in the south, told Business Insider that Green Dot really discourages baristas from asking questions, offers conflicting responses, and gives staff the easy way out rather than memorizing recipes or store policies.

Mike Grams said the Green Dot pilot program has been successful at providing real-time insights for staff. Grams described a future where AI handles labor scheduling from start to finish. "Imagine a world where you have an AI-generated schedule," Grams said.

Burger King has deployed an AI assistant named Patty that listens to drive-thru conversations in real time. Burger King chief digital officer Thibault Roux said in February that Patty can hear when employees tell customers an item is out of stock and check the store's inventory.

Thibault Roux said in February that Patty can compare restaurants' friendliness scores by clocking when staff say thank you to guests.

Thibault Roux said in February that Patty can suggest what metrics managers should focus on each day. Thibault Roux said in February that Patty is designed to assist workers by helping store leadership spend less time in back offices and more time with customers. "We almost joke about it like it shouldn't even be called BK Assistant," Thibault Roux said.

Similar AI technology has been rolled out at Chipotle, McDonald's, and Yum! Brands restaurants including KFC and Taco Bell. Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright said its Ava Cado system received a standing ovation at the company's recent leadership conference.

Ray Camillo is the founder and CEO of Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting. Ray Camillo said the next thing that is going to happen is robotic burger flippers. Business Insider reported that restaurant companies say the technology is designed to simplify work, speed up service, and free workers from administrative headaches.

Executives frame the systems as support tools rather than surveillance. Grams said veteran store leaders have responded positively to Green Dot Assist.