Two seafood chains are taking the plunge into artificial intelligence.
Red Lobster and Captain D’s each announced that they plan to use AI to take orders—Red Lobster over the phone and Captain D’s in the drive-thru.
They are the latest restaurant brands to tap AI to automate order-taking in a bid to improve efficiency and sales.
Red Lobster is partnering with SoundHound to automate the phone lines at all of its approximately 500 locations. SoundHound’s AI is trained on the casual-dining chain's menu and can take orders and answer customer questions. Customers can still ask to be connected to the restaurant if they would prefer to talk to a human staffer.
The technology will make sure that Red Lobster answers every call, even when restaurant staff are busy, the companies said in a press release.
“With SoundHound’s cutting-edge voice AI technology, we’re able to streamline the takeout process to make ordering faster and easier for our guests; including quick and seamless reordering for those who always want their favorites,” Red Lobster COO Larry Konecny said.
Since emerging from bankruptcy last year, Orlando-based Red Lobster has been making investments in operations and customer experience, including tech upgrades.
At Captain D’s, Presto Phoenix will be supplying the AI drive-thru ordering system, which can take orders as well as nudge customers with upsells.
Presto also works with Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s, Taco John’s and Wienerschnitzel and will now take its technology to the fast-food seafood category. It said that drive-thru AI is the first phase of a broader AI partnership with the 525-unit Captain D’s.
At the FSTEC conference last week, Captain D’s CIO Sean McAnally said he was intrigued by voice AI’s ability to help enroll loyalty members by always asking for signups. Down the road, he believes that it will be able to help identify customers and personalize offerings depending on who’s ordering.
The two rollouts show that there is still significant interest in voice AI among restaurants, despite some recent speed bumps. Taco Bell last month said that it is rethinking how it uses voice AI, and there were also some skeptics in the crowd at FSTEC. That included Captain D’s competitor Long John Silver’s, which has found that older customers tend to dislike the experience.
Proponents of the technology say that it has helped speed operations and improve revenues. But there are still questions about its accuracy and customers’ willingness to order from a robot.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.