Burger King is leaning into artificial intelligence with hopes of streamlining operations and monitoring service quality
The home of the Whopper revealed this week that it is testing AI-powered headsets for employees that can recite ingredients, alert managers when inventories are low and even track how friendly workers are to customers.
Powered by an OpenAI base model, the AI assistant—aptly named “Patty”—communicates through employee headsets, tracking the entire customer interaction from arrival to departure. Patty is part of a broader platform called BK Assistant that provides operational support across restaurant functions.
The technology acts as a real-time operational hub. For instance, if a soda fountain runs low on Diet Coke, Patty notifies the manager. If a customer scans a QR code to report an untidy restroom, the manager receives an immediate alert.
Additionally, employees can ask Patty for specific recipe instructions or use the system to instantly remove sold-out items from digital menus.
The headsets also track whether employees use courteous words like “welcome,” “please” and “thank you” during customer interactions and relay that information to managers.
However, Thibault Roux, Burger King’s chief digital officer, told NBC News that the technology is intended to act as a coaching tool rather than an employee evaluation system.
“It’s really a coaching tool, right? To help you as an employee become more hospitable, and we’re going to help you also with certain operation flaws that may occur that can be a little bit complex,” he said.
Currently, the headsets are being tested in 500 U.S. locations with the chain planning to expand the web and app versions of BK Assistant to all U.S. restaurants by the end of the year.
Source: Syracuse.com
